SAN FRANCISCO, January 11, (THEWILL) – The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Anthony Mkpe Ayine as the Auditor-General of the Federation. Ayine hails from Cross River State, and joined the state’s service in 1988 as Auditor II.
President Muhammadu Buhari had nominated Ayine last year to fill the post currently occupied in acting capacity by Florence Anyanwu.
The confirmation by the Senate followed the presentation of the report on the nominee’s screening by the Chairman of the Committee on Public Account, Andy Uba.
Uba noted that though there were petitions against Ayine’s nomination, his competence was not disputed. He, therefore, recommended that the nominee be confirmed.
A coalition of members of staff and organised labour of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation had on Tuesday taken their opposition to the nomination of Ayine as the Auditor-General to the National Assembly.
Numbering over 100, they staged a protest at National Assembly gate, demanding that the nomination of Ayine be rejected by the upper chamber.
Leader of the protesting workers, Salami Bashir Adekunle said they resolved to push for the rejection of the nomination of Ayine because his appointment would run against the spirit of engagement of the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation.
During the day’s sitting, Senator Binta Garba, APC-Adamawa, mustered efforts to stop Ayine’s confirmation, disclosing details of a petition. She claimed that Ayine is cousin of the current Head of Service and had been ‘local government auditor’.
But the Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio countered the Adamawa lawmaker, arguing that the petition on which she based her claims was misleading.
He said Ayine was a “state’s auditor-general for all local government areas, not just one local government.”
The ex-Akwa Ibom governor added that by virtue of Ayine’s position, he was on a level similar to a permanent secretary; therefore, met the GL 17 requirement.
Akpabio’s position was supported by the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, and George Sekibo, PDP-Rivers.
They argued that Ayine had gone through the constitutional process, including writing and passing required test before he was nominated by the president.
When the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, asked if there was any senator opposed to the confirmation of Ayine, the nomination received unanimous support from the senators.
Earlier, Adekunle had urged the Senate to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the name of Ayine, stating that he should not be allegedly imposed on the office.
He maintained that the appointment of Ayine, who he described as “an outsider” would kill merit and demoralize workers in the office.
Adekunle also said that the nomination of Ayine was against Section 86 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He noted that they have more than 50 professional qualified staff in the Directorate cadre of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation.
According to him: “We say we wanted change, is this kind of nomination of a local government Auditor-General the kind of change we want. Is it the change we wanted to impose the Auditor-General of a local government to be the Auditor General of the Federation. If we say we need change, it should be a positive change.
“Those behind the nomination of Ayine want to kill merit but we say that merit should not be killed. Why do they want to impose somebody from outside the system when we have capable hands within.
“We say no imposition of candidate. The office is not a political office and not for settlement of political goal. We say not to manipulation of the system. A level 13 officer cannot be appointed to boss his seniors.”
Adekunle continued that Buhari, known for his integrity, should not allow others to rubbish his name, begging that the Senate should reject the nomination in the interest of industrial harmony in the office of the Auditor General of the Federation.
