Group urges FG to stop appointment of new Auditor-General

JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to halt the process for the appointment of a new Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF) and instead allow the incoming government of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu to conclude the process.

National convener of a non-governmental organisation, Defenders of Constitutional Democracy (DCD), Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi and the Director of Contact and Mobilisation, Dr. Chukwuma Okoro gave the advice in a statement made available to news men in Abuja on Wednesday.

The group alleged that there was a sinister and desperate move by some elements in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission, FCSC, to sideline senior directors and appoint a junior officer as the Auditor General of the Federation.

According to the statement, “We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to order for the suspension of the process for the appointment of a new Auditor General of the Federation and allow the government of his successor to do due diligence in the exercise. The present process is riddled with corruption and illegalities and must not be allowed to stand.

“Recall that the process began in August 2022 with seven directors shortlisted and the screening done but along the line, the order of seniority was altered in the Office of the Head of Service. Surprisingly, the process was abandoned for unknown reasons and a fresh one was initiated in March 2023, where the most senior directors were excluded.

“And we have it on good authority that there are plans to appoint an officer who is not among the most senior  Directors before the expiration of this administration.

“We call on the Head of Service Mrs Folasade Esan to as a matter of urgency reinstate the original seniority list and discard the ongoing arrangement in order to avoid attracting a lawsuit. failure to abide by this subtle call, we will have no option than to seek redress in court”.

The convener contended that the DCD is “Concerned because there seems to be a grand plan to scheme out some people, especially the two women who were part of the initial seven that were shortlisted and screened for the job. Mr. President, you have an obsession with due process and the rule of law and therefore urge you to without delay intervene to save this important office from unnecessary controversies.

“We wish to notify you that instead of an acting or substantive Auditor General, the Head of Service introduced an alien practice of appointing an Overseeing Director. This is an aberration to the Civil Service Rules. Surprisingly, the so-called Overseeing Director has been in that position for over 10 months now.

“And because the position is not known to the constitution, the Overseeing Director cannot sign AuGF Annual Reports hence as we speak, there is a backlog of the Reports for two years. The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation is too important to be toyed with by some unpatriotic and corrupt public servants. This process must not continue”, the group warned.