Investigation: How Reps Committee Blocked Fraudulent Moves To Appoint AuGF

Posted by African Examiner Exclusive Reports, Exclusive/Investigative Stories, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Friday, June 9th, 2023

(AFRICAN-EXAMINER) – The House of Representatives Committee of Public Account has reportedly blocked a dubious plot by both the Head of Service of the Federation and Public Service Commission to fraudulently appoint the new Auditor General of the Federation.

The two offices were discovered to have connived to circumvent the Civil Service Rules to appoint a surrogate candidate for the position of Auditor General of the Federation.

The powerful manipulation began when the last AuGF Adolphus Aghughu retired from the service last year and the most senior of the Directors of the Audit Mrs Seyi Ogundowo was barred from Acting pending the appointment of a substantive AUGF.

Searching for the appointment of the new AUGF, the Public service Commission and the Head service, Mrs Folashade Esan issued a public advertisement asking qualified persons within and outside the service to apply.

Sources say the most Senior Director of Audits Mrs Oluseyi Ogundowo and other directors were shortlisted for interviews and their names were sent to DSS and EFCC for investigation and clearance, despite satisfactory reports for some of them, the power that be refused to appoint any of them.

Instead some newly promoted Directors of Audit were asked to apply as the same powerful individual at play lowered the requirements so their preferred candidate can qualify for the AuGF appointment.

After all the manipulations, our sources said a Director who is number 17 in rank was selected in connivance with Senate committee chairman on Public Accounts to recommend their preferred candidates to the former President Mohammad Buhari for appointment.

However, the House committee chairman on Public Account got wind of the dubious manipulation, and rushed to block the process by conducting an investigative hearing into the matter. The committee in its report to the Speaker asked the process of the appointment to stop pending the time that all matters are exhausted.

The Committee found that the claim by the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission that the two leading and most qualified candidates were indicted by EFCC was untrue.

In a desperate effort to circumvent the civil service rule on seniority, the candidates were excluded from writing an examination that was hurriedly arranged.

A retired permanent secretary who would not want to be quoted dismissed the examination “as not credible” as such cannot be upheld for the following reasons.

Security report available to this medium reveals that “the Directors invited for the exam were not 2yrs in the directorate before the examination . Mr Shaakar Kayintor who is the favoured candidate of the cabal came into the OAuGF’s office in 2011 from Taraba State Civil Service and his records needs verification.

Similarly, Mrs Dabels was indicted by a security report for allegedly having suspicious transactions not suitable for appointment recommendation.

She was also said to be sick with spinal cord injury and will retire next year while Mr Chikwe ‘s age was alleged to be tossed and he belongs to 2021 group of unqualified directors.

It is not clear whether or not these stakeholders were able to arm twist the former President Muhammadu Buhari to approve their choice but no announcement has been made in the media as the matter may likely come up in the 10th National Assembly.

Our source said President Bola Tinubu has already been briefed on the dirty politics that characterized the appointment of a substantive Auditor General and may have demanded further investigation.