by Alexander O. Onukwue

The new circus in town is about the audio released by Premium Times regarding the issue of nominations and confirmations, and the role of the Senate.

Attorney-General Abubakar Malami’s statement has been interpreted by many to be distancing himself, on behalf of the Federal Executive Council, from the Acting President’s statement. These interpretations are hinged on the “it cannot begin to defend what it did not decide on” part of Malami’s words.

The fuss does not consider that they did not decide on it, not because it was not discussed, but because “at no point ever did the Federal Executive Council sit down to arrive at the decision in one way or the other as far as the issue of nomination or otherwise is concerned”.

In other words, the FEC discussed other issues at their meeting for which they were supposed to and entitled to discuss. Like was said by Garba Shehu, Osinbajo’s statement in April was made as an observation to the opinion of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana.

In the most objective sense, it does not belong to the Ministers in the Federal Executive Council to debate the issue of Magu’s nomination. Though it is a kind of law enforcement agency – which may give the Attorney-General the privilege to speak on it – Magu’s EFCC is an agency under the Presidency, hence it belonged to it to clarify the Attorney General’s statement on the issue of nominations and confirmations, stating that “decisions on Presidential nominations are matters for the Presidency and not the Federal Executive Council”.

The last part of Malami’s statement stated this well: because they could not discuss it, and so did not, it was not their duty to “make any clarification about because it has never been considered by FEC”.