Uncertainty as lawyer files suit to stop Senate's confirmation of new EFCC boss
- Abdulrasheed Bawa has legal hurdles to face regarding his nomination as EFCC boss
- A legal practitioner, Osuagwu Ugochukwu, has argued that there are controversies surrounding Bawa's nomination
- The substantive EFCC chairman is yet to respond to the court action
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A legal battle is currently on-going at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the nomination of Abdulrasheed Bawa as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Guardian reported that a legal practitioner, Osuagwu Ugochukwu, instituted the legal action challenging the nomination of Bawa to head the commission.
Source: UGC
The lawyer asked the court to determine if Bawa is qualified to be appointed chairman of the anti-graft agency.
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He also wants the court to determine whether the Senate is competent in law to confirm the appointment of Bawa, who he argued is deemed to fall short of the requirement of sections of the Act establishing the EFCC.
The court has given the Senate and Bawa 30 days to prove why the appointment should be sustained.
The Punch reported that the Nigerian Senate has been served with a court document regarding the suit.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Magu has reacted to the appointment of Abdulrasheed Bawa as his successor by President Muhammadu Buhari, with the embattled former anti-graft czar describing the development as shocking.
Bawa, a 40-year-old trained EFCC prosecutor, was on Tuesday, February 16, appointed the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a letter addressed to the Nigerian Senate.
Reacting through his lawyer Tosin Ojaomo, Magu said the "appointment came to me as a shock" as justice has not been served in respect to the allegations of power abuse levelled against him.
In another news, with the corruption allegation ushering in a new leadership of the EFCC, the anti-graft body has defended its newly appointed head, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
In a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the commission absolved Bawa of any wrongdoing, adding that the new anti-graft czar has no corruption record.
Kess Ewubare is a senior political/current affairs correspondent at Legit.ng. He has both a BSc and a Master’s degree in mass communication. He has over 10 years of experience in working in several fields of mass communication including radio, TV, newspaper, and online. For Kess, journalism is more than a career, it is a beautiful way of life.
Source: Legit.ng
