By Rotimi Fasan
THE refusal of the Nigerian Senate to consider for confirmation the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, points to the clash of interest among the minders of President Muhammadu Buhari, and foreshadows the crisis that may yet undo his administration.

It is clear now that the immediate lieutenants of the president, his kitchen cabinet and so-called cabal that has held him hostage despite spirited denial, are working at cross purposes from the acclaimed mandate and goal of the Buhari presidency, namely, the fight against corruption and the urgency of putting Nigeria on the path of economic and political growth.

That the administration’s fight against corruption may be entering a dead end is evident from the manner the Bukola Saraki senate stonewalled the hearing that was to confirm Mr. Magu as the anti-corruption chief of the government.

Mr. Magu allegedly failed to get security clearance required for confirmation of positions such as his, having failed the integrity test conducted by the Department of State Services, DSS. This was the security report on which the Senate hinged its decision not to consider the nomination of Magu. But aware that the Senate as well as the House of Representatives are peopled by individuals who would themselves never pass an integrity test of whatever nature, it was easy for many Nigerians to perceive their action as motivated by self-protection and therefore self-serving.

Ibrahim Magu

The outcry that followed the announcement that the Senate had rejected Ibrahim Magu’s nomination was in the circumstances understandable. A thief can’t be comfortable in the presence of the police. The National Assembly whose very leadership, to say nothing of its general membership, has been tainted by corruption allegations and is under sundry investigations within and outside the country cannot be excited by the appointment of a man at the vanguard of the moral assault against that place of infamy.

But the outcry that followed Magu’s rejection was not all condemnatory of the Senate’s position. Some Nigerians are as elated by the Senate’s action as others are outraged by it. It all looks so polarising and with more information now surfacing about intrigues within the inner sanctum of the presidency, it might be safe to say that Magu’s plight is no less attributable to the survival instinct of the National Assembly than the in-fighting among the president’s own men. Which is to say that the reason Ibrahim Magu failed to secure legislative nod for his nomination originated from among the closest minders of the president, found expression in inter-agency rivalry and culminated with last week’s rebuff from the Senate. The role of the Lawal Daura-led DSS and Abba Kyari, the president’s chief of staff, on the one hand and that of Babagana Munguno, the National Security Adviser on the other hand cannot be ignored in the drama that played out in the Senate.

This is a case of ‘sibling’ rivalry no doubt. But it’s gone too far and is now threatening to national fabric. The president, having carefully surrounded himself with allies chosen from his immediate circle, now has to contend with their struggles to prove their loyalty to him and worm their way into his heart. This way they will seize initiative from him by how well they are able to undermine one another even at the risk of besmirching the president’s authority and holding the rest of the country on tenterhooks.

With such skulduggery unfolding in the president’s threshold, all that is needed to tip his administration over is the helping hand of an estranged outsider long waiting like a vulture for the best time to strike. This the bickering president’s men found in the Senate last week. With Magu’s rejection, it’s just one step away from where the anti-corruption crusade would have been entirely wrongfooted. Once that happens all that gives the Buhari administration a semblance of legitimacy in the face of a wobbly economy in recession would have gone up puff- in smoke.

Nigeria is always slippery territory for a moral crusader. One can be corrupted without intending to be so. The very system in which we all operate is prone to and programmed for corruption, and can stain even the most sterling character. You could in Nigeria be made to take or give a bribe without intending to or even realising it. Which makes it easy for despicable characters to successfully launch corruption charges in a if-you-Daboh-me-I-will-Tarka you retaliatory manner, the same that appears to be drowning Magu’s ambition to lead the EFCC before the Senate. I would not know how much of Magu’s plight is a consequence of past sin by way of the long list of corrupt activities now listed against him in the public space.

What is clear is that our corrupt legislators have struck back at one of their tormentors, Magu, and by extension President Buhari whose anti-corruption crusade is now imperilled. They have sent a clear message to whoever is to replace Magu: you either play it cool with us or dare us at your own peril. They did for Nuhu Ribadu which explains the laidback strategy of Farida Waziri and the less than par performance of Ibrahim Lamorde, Magu’s alleged corrupt crony and predecessor.

With his key lieutenants being increasingly showed to have stained hands and involved in unseemly rivalry (recall Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and his management of the North-east displaced persons funds?), President Buhari may not only be at the mercy of his minders but may in fact be at the head of a government of roguish elements whose activities and clash of interests either undermine his anti-corruption stance or make these persons unfit to lead his fight against corruption.

Either way, he is culpable as these are his appointees, chosen supposedly for their moral credibility. The question now is how much does the president really know about those in his close circle and to what extent can he free himself from their vice-like clutches? He appears to be losing the battle against corruption with the resurgence of the corruption goons in the National Assembly and elsewhere in the country. He will need to take a second and indeed close look at his appointees which would mean looking beyond his close and extended networks of family, friends and associates.

Magu’s efficiency, until now steeped in controversy, may have been destroyed by the failure of his nomination.  This is if he finds himself in the substantive position of EFCC chair. In order, therefore, to keep the steam on in his fight against corruption, President Buhari may need to find a replacement that would not be cowed by Ibrahim Magu’s latest travail. This may be the only saving grace and protection for his presidency.