High-Stakes Conflict: Senate Orders CAC Registrar Arrest Amid Controversy

The decision was made on Thursday during a budget defence session involving the Federal Ministry of Finance and its agencies.

Senator Sani Musa, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, accused Magaji of consistently ignoring the committee’s summons.

“The Registrar General has, on numerous occasions, refused to honour invitations and summons from this committee,” Musa said.

He added that the panel had concerns about discrepancies in the reconciliation of the commission’s revenue.

“We have issues with the reconciliation of CAC’s revenue, but each time we summoned him, he would send a junior officer,” the chairman stated.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu first raised the matter, urging the committee to recommend Magaji’s removal from office to President Bola Tinubu. According to Kalu, the registrar’s pattern of non-compliance amounts to serial disrespect for the Senate and undermines the oversight role of the National Assembly.

Another committee member, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, proposed that the Senate withhold approval of any budget allocation to the CAC in the 2026 Appropriation Act until the Registrar General personally appears before the panel.

Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be barred from spending its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) without prior approval from the National Assembly.

The committee endorsed the proposal, signalling a potential tightening of legislative scrutiny over the agency’s finances.

Lawmakers emphasized that their main concern is unresolved issues regarding CAC’s revenue profile and financial reconciliation.