…over ‘refusal to honour summons
The senate committee on finance has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove Hussaini Magaji, registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), over his alleged refusal to honour invitations from lawmakers.
The resolution followed deliberations by the committee during a budget defence session on Thursday.
Orji Kalu, Abia north senator, moved the motion for Magai’s arrest, and said failure to comply with legislative oversight undermines accountability and the authority of the national assembly.
“This man is not coming to the senate; he’s not above the law. This is the minister of finance and minister of budget; they’re here,” Kalu said.
“We summoned them and they came. And this man (Magaji) thinks he’s big over the senate? We’re not going to take that rubbish again.
“I move a motion that that man should be reported to Mr President and ask for immediate removal because we cannot continue with this man.
“This CAC man, since I came to this senate, has never appeared, he will continue saying he’s in the villa, he’s going to London. Is that what we’re doing here? He should come and give us an account of what he has done.”
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Sani Musa, chairman of the committee and senator representing Niger east, accused Magaji of repeatedly ignoring calls to appear before the panel to account for the commission’s finances.
“The registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused, on so many occasions, to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee,” Musa said.
“There are only about three committees that are in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and committee of finance is one of those committees — section 88, section 89 have given us these powers. And as registrar-general, we have issues with the reconciliation of their revenue.
”Anytime he is invited, he will give us one reason or the other, and he will send junior officers to come and talk to the senate. That cannot be accepted!”
Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, backed the motion and proposed that the CAC’s 2026 budget allocation be withheld pending the registrar-general’s personal appearance before the panel.
Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval of the national assembly.
“This senate should decline to appropriate any thing in the 2026 budget until we are satisfied that he has properly account for previous money and spending,” Oshiomhole said.
“And should he spend money that is not appropriated, he should be heading to Kuje prison.”
The committee subsequently endorsed the proposal to restrict the CAC’s access to its internally generated funds until compliance is secured.
The resolution requesting the president to remove the CAC boss was adopted after being put to a voice vote by the chairman.
