The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee will grill officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Independent National Electoral Commission over alleged financial violations amounting to over N802.19 billion. The queries are based on the Auditor-General of the Federation's reports for 2021, 2022, and 2023 financial years. The committee, led by Bamidele Salam, will scrutinise public accounts, revenue leakages, and breaches of financial rules.
The committee derives its powers from Sections 85, 88, and 89 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Order 20, Rule 6 of the House Rules. A member of the committee said the Auditor-General's reports raised audit queries against NNPCL for 2021, 2022, and 2023, while INEC will answer queries from the 2022 and 2023 reports. The committee will question several agencies, including the Code of Conduct Tribunal and Federal Colleges of Education.
The NNPCL is alleged to have committed infractions of about N514bn, including N343.64bn irregular deductions from domestic crude sales and N83.66bn warehoused from miscellaneous revenue in a sinking fund account. The committee is expected to demand supporting documents and explanations from the oil company. INEC will respond to issues around procurement, contractor payments, and non-remittance of statutory deductions.
The 2022 Auditor-General Report alleged that over N5.31bn was paid for smart card readers for the 2019 general elections without prior approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement. The readers were deployed for the 2019 polls before INEC adopted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, for 2023. The committee will ask questions on money spent starting from the 2019 general election.
The PAC hearings are part of its constitutional mandate to examine Auditor-General reports and compel public institutions to account for public funds. An audit query does not in itself establish wrongdoing until the agency responds with evidence. Other agencies listed for Tuesday, October 6, 2026, include the National Mathematical Centre and National Power Training Institute.
Findings showed that INEC's alleged breaches amount to about N288.19bn as contained in the 2022 audit query. The committee will demand explanations from INEC on procurement procedures, payments made to contractors, and failure to remit statutory deductions.
The House PAC hearings will hold on Monday and Tuesday at the National Assembly Complex. Chairman Salam was unavailable for comments as his calls were not answered and WhatsApp messages were not replied. The committee's investigation aims to ensure accountability and transparency in public fund management.
Key points
- The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Independent National Electoral Commission are to be grilled over alleged financial infractions.
- The infractions amount to over N802.19 billion based on the Auditor-General of the Federation's reports.
- The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee will scrutinise public accounts, revenue leakages, and breaches of financial rules.
