Face-off between presidency and Nigerian senators gets messier

Face-off between presidency and Nigerian senators gets messier – Review

The March 30 newspaper headlines are filled with the squabbles between the Senate, presidency, Professor Itse Sagay and Senator Ali Ndume who was recently suspended.

Vanguard reports that the battle of wits between the Presidency and the Senate took a new twist, yesterday, March 29, as the Senate summoned the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, for describing the lawmakers’ actions as childish and irresponsible.

The Senate asked Professor Sagay to appear before the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, led by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, PDP, Imo East, to clear himself of the allegation and explain why he insulted the Senate as an institution. The committee was given four weeks to submit its report.

Newspaper review: Professor Sagay ignores senators summon as face-off between Presidency and Senate gets messier

READ ALSO: President Buhari cancels medical trip to UK

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested two directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria for alleged forex manipulation and economic sabotage.

Impeccable sources at the EFCC told one of our correspondents on Wednesday that the directors were still in custody as of press time at 7.30pm. It was learnt that the investigation into the CBN officials activities sent shockwaves round the apex bank, Punch reports.

Newspaper review: Professor Sagay ignores senators summon as face-off between Presidency and Senate gets messier

This Day reports that the federal government disturbed by the stand-off between the executive and the Senate, the federal government on Wednesday constituted a committee to come up with recommendations on how to resolve the row amicably.

READ ALSO: Senate leader lashes at Buhari’s aides (video)

The executive was also keen on ensuring that the Senate does not mete out the same treatment to the two ministerial nominees – Prof. Steven Ikani Ocheni and Mr. Suleiman Zarma Hassan – whose names were sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Senate on Tuesday night, as it did to the 27 Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC)-nominees of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Nation reports that more cash believed to be part of the London-Paris Club loan refund has been found by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The US$86,546,526.65 was remitted into the account of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). The account is said to have been depleted to about $17million as at the time the probe started. The EFCC is probing how the cash got into the account, who remitted it and for what purpose.