The presidency has began discussions with the leadership of the Senate over the refusal of the red chamber to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the Economic and Fianacial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Federal Government has kept Magu in office in acting capacity for over one year now, despite the senate refusal to confirm him on two occasions.
This has, however, drawn the ire of the upper legislative chambers which has stood down nearly all nomination requests from the Presidency until Magu is removed.
According to sources, the Presidency has reached out to the Senate in order to find a middle ground upon which the dispute could be resolved.
A meeting to that effect was held on Monday with both parties, sources told Daily Trust.
Presidency and Senate sources said, at the moment, confirmation of close to 50 nominees of the president is pending.
Confirmation of nominees for the Deputy Governor and four members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Pension Commission (PenCom), Code of Conduct Bureau (CBB), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) among others, are pending.
Contacted, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Sen Ita Enang confirmed that the presidency has resumed talk with the Senate.
He said: ”We are not resting on our oars; we are conducting the best and highest level of diplomacy.
”We have started talking again; we have changed the tone of our speaking. We are arriving at something like a middle ground that would be satisfactory to all parties.
”So long that these appointments stand unconfirmed, foreign investment, funding from foreign partners and governance are being affected.
”We are not attacking, we are engaging and I believe in the next few days, the result will be evidenced and we will come out of it.”
Asked whether the executive has agreed to sack Magu, Enang said: ”We are working with them and we are arriving at some solutions.”
Asked to list the number of pending confirmation, he said: ”We have nominees for NERC, CBN, Pension Commission, NDIC, NDDC among others.”
