The Vital facts about new CAF President Ahmad Ahmad

Madagascar FA chief Ahmad Ahmad is now the new President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after defeating Cameroonian Issa Hayatou 34-20 during the 39th CAF General Assembly in Ethiopia on Thursday, March 16, 2017.

New CAF President Ahmad Ahmad

Hayatou had been the president of CAF since the year 1988, and Ahmad Ahmad's victory had brought a new dawn to African football.

Here are 3 facts about the new CAF president Ahmad Ahmad.

He is from Madagascar

Ahmad took the reins of the Madagascar Football Federation in 2003. He is from a northwestern Malagasy village and is the first Madagascan to run for the presidency of a continental confederation.

He is a silent member of CAF’s Executive Committee.

Not until Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar came out to challenge Issa Hayatou, many did not know that he is a CAF Executive Committee member because he was a silent member.

He seems to have a different ideology in football administration

He said before the election that if he wins, politics will have no place in African football.

"My program is the reform of the administration of Caf to avoid the involvement of politics in the organization.“A good candidate… I can’t say, but I am a candidate for change and the majority wants change. I am the only one who could dare present a candidacy for the change. And I am vying to bring this change.”

“What makes my programme different is its uniqueness, I want to reform the administration, I can’t work with the current administration.”

"I took (my decision) after hearing some federation presidents (say they) want change."

Senate, Magu saga: 7 things that will happen

The Senate declined confirming Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) twice in three months.

Magu was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as acting chairman of the EFCC on November 9, 2015 and in June 2016, he wrote a letter to the Senate seeking the confirmation of Magu as the substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency.

After rejecting Ibrahim Magu, the Senate requested that the president nominate a replacement for him

In December 2016, the Senate rejected Magu’s nomination, based on a damning report by the Department of State Services (DSS), which is also an agency of the federal government.

In January, Buhari re-nominated Ibrahim Magu for confirmation saying he had been briefed on the security report by the DSS.

On Wednesday, March 15, the Senate once again rejected Magu’s confirmation based on a status report by the DSS that indicted Magu as "a liability to the anti-corruption fight of the present administration.”

Now that Magu has been rejected for the second time, these are what may likely happen.

1. Buhari may ignore the Senate

After rejecting Magu, the Senate requested that the president nominate a replacement for him. The president is yet to react to the recent rejection. They said to re-nominate Magu for a third time would amount to undermining the DSS and portraying the agency as incompetent, incapable of doing its job, and rubbishing the institution. According to Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesman, the presidency will respondto the legislature’s rejection of Magu as EFCC boss after it receives official communication in writing from the Senate. Buhari may just decide to ignore the Senate and allow Magu continue as the acting EFCC boss.

2. Magu will continue in acting capacity

The rejection of Magu as substantive EFCC chairman does not stop him from continuing to be acting chairman. The Senate can only refuse to confirm him but they cannot stop Buhari from appointing an acting chairman. It has not removed his powers to investigate or prosecute alleged corrupt people. Magu’s power still remains intact as acting chairman unless President Buhari says otherwise.

READ ALSO: 11 questions Senate asked Magu during his screening before he was rejected

3. Rift between the EFCC and DSS

There have been speculations of inter-agency rivalry between the DSS and the EFCC. The rivalry between both security agencies came to the fore after reports insinuated that the minister of justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami forwarded files of the seven Justices suspected of judicial corruption to the DSS instead of the EFCC because he was not happy with the selective manner the anti-graft agency handled previous petitions sent to it.

Should the EFCC decide to retaliate against the report of the DSS, things will get messier and the public may lose confidence in their ability to perform their duties.

4. APC may run into internal crisis

While some senators belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are in support of Magu’s rejection, others want him to be confirmed. Ali Ndume who expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, accused the Senate of double standard. Recall that Ndume was removed as the majority leader of the Senate in January and according to him, it was because the Senate did not follow the proper procedure before rejecting Magu’s nomination.

5. Legislative and executive clash

Apparently, President Buhari is determined to have Magu lead the anti-corruption campaign which is why he nominated and renominated him after he was rejected. The presidency will not be happy that the legislature rejected Magu for a second time and this may pitch the executive against the legislature.

6. Corruption war might gather more steam

For rejecting him, Magu may just get fiercer with the anti-corruption war. Since he came on board, the EFCC has recovered a lot of funds and many prominent Nigerians who were untouchable have been arrested. Magu may decide to go after more corrupt lawmakers including those belonging to the APC who have been left out of the corruption war.

7. Danger for the anti-corruption war

President Buhari’s administration is committed to fighting corruption and the EFCC has moved from being a toothless bulldog to being a bulldog that can bark and bite. If Buhari decides to nominate another person who is not as fierce as Magu, the anti-graft agency may just back to the days when it could only bark and not bite and this will not be good for the country and this administration’s anti-corruption war.

Magu's rejection is the topic on most lips. Some Nigerians are wondering if President Buhari is truly in charge.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), said the Senate ridiculed the office of President Buhari by rejecting to confirm Magu as EFCC chairman. Author-Nkem Ikeke.

Towards 2019 Elections; Versity Don Drums Support for Nigerian Female Presidency

A Professor of Sociology at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Tukur Baba says a woman is capable of emerging as the President of Nigeria, if given the chance.

The Don said this in Sokoto on Wednesday when he presented a paper‎ entitled, “Women in Conflict Situation in Nigeria” at a two-day National Conference for Directors of Social Communication of Catholic Dioceses.

Baba said: ‘’There are formidable women who can emerge as President, if given the chance.”

‘’Circumstances can bring them up to the peak of leadership. Women have been shielded out of relevance for quite long in the history of the country.

“They need the necessary educational, political and economic empowerment ‎to occupy the position.”

The professor also noted that said Nigeria was blessed with,” excellent women of integrity, skills and abilities that can turn the fortunes of the country for good, if given the chance

“The men have long been sitting on the women and not because women Dcannot emerge as president.

‘’We have formidable, ‎active and courageous women in the political circle.

“They can be as good or bad as men in managing or mismanaging state resources‎.

BREAKING: Nigerian Senate tells Customs boss to re-appear in uniform

The Nigerian Senate has told Customs boss Hameed Ali to go and re-appear before it on Wednesday, March 22 in his uniform as Comptroller-General of the body.

Hameed Ali addressing the senate on Thursday, March 16

The Senate had earlier admitted Ali into the upper house of legislature's chambers on Thursday, March 16 and questioned him on why he has been defying its directive to dress properly for his appearance.

READ ALSO: Senate goes into closed session as Customs boss arrives in mufti

Hameed Ali said he was not aware of any law that states he should wear uniform but he is consulting with his lawyers over the matter.

But the senators were not pleased with his submission.

Although Senator Magnus Abe pleaded with him to wear his uniform, other senators disagreed.

Senator George Sekibo moved that Ali be sent out of the chambers to return at a leter time but in his uniform. He was seconded by Senator Barnabas Gemade, who said the CG had to present a good example to other leaders of institutions.

Ali decided to show up before the senators on Thursday after the upper house of legislature resolved to issue a warrant for his arrest if he did not show up today.

The senators on Wednesday, March 15, during a plenary unanimously passed a motion to issue the warrant that will compel Ali appear before it on Thursday, March 16.

The Senate decision came after Ali failed to make an appearance before the Red Chamber on Wednesday.

He had in a letter told the Senate that he (Ali) would not be able to appear before it because he was bereaved.

BREAKING: Ahmad Ahmad elected CAF president

Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar has been named the new president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following general elections held on Thursday, March 16.

CAF has only ever had five presidents in its 60-year history and the last time a new leader was appointed was way back in 1988 when Issa Hayatou was named the President.

Ahmad Ahmad

Ahmad defeated Cameroon's Issa Hayatou to win the presidency with 34 votes to his counterpart's 30 votes.

Thursday's election in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, saw Hayatou, who was in charge for nearly three decades defeated.

He has often been re-elected unopposed. On the two occasions when he did face a challenge, he won with landslides amongst the electorate of presidents of Africa's football associations.

Issa Hayatou

In 2000, he beat Angola's Armando Machado by 47-4 votes and four years later he defeated Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana by 46-6 votes.

Ahmad campaigned on the platform of administrative reform, financial transparency and a potential reorganisation of Caf competitions.

Ahmad Ahmad

CAF former presidents

Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem (1957-1958.   Abdel Aziz Moustafa (1958-1968)

Abdel Halim Muhammad (1968-1972)

Yidnekatchew Tessema (1972-1987)

Abdel Halim Muhammad (1987-1988)

Issa Hayatou (1988-2017)

Highly placed Nigerians behind Magu's rejection

There are reports that high-placed Nigerians stopped Magu's confirmation as EFCC chairman

The acting EFCC chairman reportedly stepped on many toes

One of the his "sins" was the invitation of Toyin Saraki for questioning on corruption-related issues

Ibrahim Magu’s rejection as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been revealed not to be based on the report indicting him by the Department Of State Services alone.

According to our source, governors and some high-placed Nigerians plotted against his confirmation.

Our source however gathered that, Magu got the ire of the governors over the ongoing probe of the alleged diversion of N19 billion from the London-Paris Club loan refund.

Ibrahim Magu was rejected by the Senate

Also some senators reportedly plotted against Magu due to his refusal to make a commitment that he will “find solutions” to their trials.

A source said a former governor from the Northeast led some senators to the acting EFCC chairman asking him to terminate their trial but he insisted that the law must be allowed to take its course.

Also It was learnt that the N19billion was deducted from the N388.304billion, which was part of the N522.74 billion released to 35 states as refund of over-deductions on the London-Paris Club loans.

President Muhammadu Buhari approved the release of the first tranche to states as refund pending a reconciliation of records after protests by states against over deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002,

Each state was entitled to a cap of N14.5 billion but the intercepted as it was reported that N19billion was diverted to Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) accounts and some private accounts.

A source said: “All attempts to prevail on Magu to halt the investigation failed and the governors have no choice than to engage in lobbying to truncate the confirmation.

“Although a governor from the Northeast did his best to persuade his colleagues to spare Magu, some of the governors vowed not to take the risk.

“At a point, the governors sent emissaries to the Acting EFCC chairman, including some government officials, but he did not shift ground.

“The position of the governors was that the Presidency was in the picture of the deductions from the loan refunds but the EFCC’s probe was seen as an embarrassment to them.

“Before Magu goes after them, they decided to cut him to size. These governors found willing partners in some National Assembly leaders who were implicated in the loan refund.”

One of the emissaries sent by the governors to Magu was quoted as saying: “This chap almost secured confirmation but he bungled it by probing the loan refund.

“Each time a commitment was secured from him, the more he has been intensifying investigation of the N19billion. We told him it was a sensitive case.”

“A businessman reportedly interceded for Magu, urging the Senate leadership to confirm him. But the businessman later discovered that EFCC was investigating him in connection with the loan refund,"

“So, the governors refused to spare any efforts to lobby their senators to reject Magu. And don’t forget that most of these governors are godfathers of many senators. Again, 2019 is around the corner, no senator wants to take a bet on Magu and lose the opportunity of returning to the Red Chamber in the next general election,”

A highly-placed source said: “The Senate has had its grudges against Magu since the invitation of the wife of the President of the Senate for interrogation. The senators saw it as a desecration of the chamber.

“There are always fears that Magu could be more drastic in his action if confirmed.

”And the fears came to fore during the lobbying for confirmation when the Acting EFCC chairman refused to yield ground. Magu and a few others met with some of the Senators, led by a former governor from the Northeast, who demanded to know what EFCC will do on their cases.”

“The PDP senators did not mince words that the Acting EFCC chairman will not be confirmed because of alleged tilting of investigation towards opposition leaders. The ongoing subtle probe of the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio and his wife by the EFCC was considered as an affront after Magu had lobbied the PDP Caucus.

“Although two of the PDP senators met with Magu on Tuesday to assure him of likely clearance but the game plan changed overnight when the caucus took a position against Magu.”

Another high source noted that some bank chiefs were against the acting EFCC chairmen.

“The Acting EFCC chairman stepped on toes of these high-profile suspects, who in cahoots with their associates and sympathisers, lobbied senators to halt what one of them described as ‘Magu’s hurricane’. These suspects have the wherewithal to fight Magu to a standstill.