When people belong to different political parties or ideologies, they tend to see each other as enemies or opponents. With that, anything done by one of them would be viewed politically by the other person.
This played out between President Muhammadu Buhari and the immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, from 2015 to 2019.
The two were once members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but they have different political ideologies. Later, Bukola Saraki had no choice other than to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
During his time as the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki was faced with different accusations. One of them was that he was not approving everything sent to him by the President.
Buhari said it in an interview that he had bad relationship with the eighth National Assembly under Saraki and former Speaker Yakubu Dogara.
In another report, Buhari said he rated Saraki and Dogara very low on patriotism to the nation, saying they held the country to ransom.
Saraki himself said Buhari lacked the capacity and vision to rule Nigeria.
These are indications that the duo were never on the same page.
One of those things Bukola Saraki refused to approve from Buhari was the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On two different occasions, President Buhari presented the Acting EFCC Chairman to the Senate for confirmation. But the Saraki-led eighth Senate said Magu cannot be the EFCC Chairman.
Saraki said it repeatedly that the Department of State Security (DSS) has forwarded a report to the Senate, indicting Magu of different allegations.
But, instead of President Buhari’s government to investigate the report by the DSS as being emphasised by Saraki, nothing was done.
Surprisingly, the same Magu was summoned before a Presidential Panel of Enquiry yesterday; the same Buhari-led Presidency?
Earlier, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, had made very damning allegations against Magu in a letter to the president in June.
It was gathered that the allegations from Malami were the reasons why Magu was grilled for almost six hours yesterday.
Why was he not questioned then when Saraki alerted that there were allegations against Magu?
In fact, many said Saraki did not confirm Magu because he was afraid of being probed by him. Isn’t that ridiculous?
The Magu-led EFCC also came out that time to say nothing from Saraki against Magu could make him escape prosecution.
Reports have it that Magu was questioned yesterday for alleged malfeasance, alleged diversion of recovered loot and misconduct; all coming from Malami.
It was gathered that the AGF has also recommended those to replace Magu as he called for his removal.
The Nation Newspaper also reported that Magu was detained all night as he was not allowed to go home or to his office after his interrogation by the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel.
With the way Magu’s issue turned out, we need no one to tell us that Senator Saraki is a man who believes so much in due process.
With the pressure mounted on him that time, another person would have succumbed; but he stood on the part of law and order. He upheld due process despite the attacks.
Today, he has been vindicated. All Nigerians have known that truly, there are allegations against Magu, which must be cleared before he can be confirmed as the substantive Chairman of the EFCC.
Without being economical with the truth, President Muhammadu Buhari and others in the presidency should apologize to Senator Saraki as far as this Ibrahim Magu issue is concerned.
Truly, Nigerians deserve an apology from Buhari for keeping Magu in office without investigating the allegations against him so as to ascertain whether he is guilty or innocent.