Magu’s Unlawful EFCC Tenure: Court Ruling Vindicates Us — Saraki

 Oriontimes Political Desk| September 23, 2026

ABUJA — Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said the Court of Appeal’s ruling declaring Ibrahim Magu’s prolonged tenure as Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unlawful has vindicated the position taken by the Eighth Senate under his leadership.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday overturned a 2019 judgment of the Federal High Court which had upheld Magu’s continued stay in office despite the Senate’s rejection of his nomination as substantive EFCC chairman.

Reacting to the development, Saraki recalled that the Eighth Senate rejected Magu’s nomination twice, in 2016 and 2017, but that he continued to serve in an acting capacity until July 2020.

“It is often said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” Saraki stated.

According to him, the Senate’s decision at the time was not politically motivated but an exercise of its constitutional responsibility.

“At the time, some called our decision political. It wasn’t. We were simply exercising our constitutional duty and standing by what was right,” he said.

Saraki further alleged that members of the Eighth Senate, their families and associates faced what he described as attempts by Magu to “terrorise” them following the rejection of his nomination.

“Doing what was right came at a huge personal and public cost,” he added.

The former Senate President said the latest appellate court decision had reinforced the position maintained by the Senate nearly a decade ago.

“Nearly a decade later, I feel vindicated yet again,” Saraki said.

The legal dispute over Magu’s continued stay began while he was still in office. Lawyer Johnmary Jideobi had challenged his prolonged acting tenure after the Senate twice rejected his nomination. The Court of Appeal subsequently overturned the Federal High Court’s 2019 decision that had upheld his continued retention in an acting capacity.

Saraki said the episode offered a broader lesson about public service and institutional responsibility.

“For those of us who have had the privilege of serving this nation, the deepest lesson in all of this is that time may test one’s conviction, but it always ultimately reveals the value of standing on principle,” he said.

The Court of Appeal ruling concerns Magu’s historical tenure as acting EFCC chairman between 2015 and 2020 and does not affect the current leadership of the anti-graft agency.

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