KEY POINTS

• The Senate has urged President Tinubu to sack CAC Registrar-General Hussaini Magaji for repeatedly ignoring committee invitations.
• Lawmakers warned they could block the commission’s 2026 budget if the situation continues.
• The Finance Committee says it may invoke constitutional powers to enforce compliance from government agencies

Nigeria’s Senate has called on Bola Tinubu to dismiss Hussaini Magaji, the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, accusing him of persistently ignoring invitations from the Senate Committee on Finance.

The resolution was reached during the Ministry of Finance’s 2026 budget defence session in Abuja, where lawmakers expressed frustration over what they described as repeated disregard for legislative oversight.

The motion requesting Magaji’s removal was moved by Orji Uzor Kalu, who told colleagues that the CAC chief had consistently refused to appear before the committee since the current Senate was inaugurated. According to him, Magaji often sends junior officers instead of attending personally, which he described as unacceptable and disrespectful to the institution.

The motion was seconded by Adams Oshiomhole, who warned that lawmakers might retaliate by withholding budgetary allocations for the commission in the 2026 fiscal year if the situation persists.

Committee Warns MDAs Against Ignoring Invitations

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Sani Musa, stressed that no head of any ministry, department, or agency (MDA) is above legislative scrutiny.

He described the refusal of agency leaders to honour invitations or submit required documents as a breach of constitutional responsibility.

Musa emphasised that oversight is not optional but a legal duty of the National Assembly, adding that the committee is prepared to deploy all constitutional powers available to compel compliance and ensure accountability.

According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, lawmakers have increasingly complained about some government agencies delaying responses to inquiries or ignoring summons, a trend they say undermines transparency and weakens fiscal scrutiny.