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Reps accuse AGF of extra budgetary spending

The House of Representatives has accused the Accountant General of the Federation of engaging in extra budgetary expenditure contrary to the powers conferred on his office by approving additional funds for the conduct of the 2015 general election.
Chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. Oluwole, who made the accusation on Tuesday, said the Accountant General approved and released an extra N73 billion to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2015 election against the N45 billion approved for the Commission
The committee asked the AGF to provide a balance of N16.9 billion from another N36.9 billion approved for INEC by the Presidency out of which only N10 billion was paid to INEC by the Accountant-General’s office for the election.
Oke said that the approval of N107.7 billion for the electoral umpire and the disbursement of the additional N73 billion against the N45 billion budget for INEC amount to gross application and abuse of office by the Accountant-General who is in charge of public treasury.
Referring to yet another audit query from the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, Oke said said another N37,428 million was also withdrawn form the 10% rice milling funds for the election.
He said: “The Accountant-Generel should explain the direct deduction of the fund from the federal government’s account.”
Representative of the AGF and Director of Accounts, Emma Olawale said the funds advanced to the electoral umpire were approved in 2014 by the then President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
According to Oke, the AGF office wrote to the Presidency and then Coordinating minister for the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and got the approval to advance the funds to the INEC officials.

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