Senate Confirms Shaakaa Chira As Auditor-General, 10 Nominees As Resident Electoral Commissioners

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Shaakaa Chira as the Auditor-General of the Federation.

The Upper House also confirmed 10 nominees whose names were sent to it by the President for confirmation as Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for a term of five years.

The president through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale appointed Chira based on the “powers vested in him by section 86 of the 1999 Constitution (amended), President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr Shaakaa Chira as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation, as recommended by the Federal Civil Service Commission, FCSC.”

The statement said, “The President approved Mr Chira’s appointment after the Federal Civil Service Commission, FCSC, conducted a screening exercise that identified Mr Chira as the most qualified candidate who had also scored the highest in the examination amongst all qualified candidates for the office.

“President Bola Tinubu expects the new Auditor-General to justify the confidence reposed in him and to live up to the high expectations that Nigerians have concerning the execution of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration.”

The President had also requested via a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at plenary on Tuesday the confirmation of Etekamba Umoren (Akwa Ibom) Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo) Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti) Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji (Gombe) Shehu Wahab (Kwara) Prof. Mohammed Yelwa (Niger).

All 10 nominees appeared before the Senate who resolved to the committee of the whole to consider their nomination.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio who presided over plenary said the senate would look into areas of the electoral law that need to be reworked to strengthen the electoral process.

He advised the RECs to “bring justice to bear” in the discharge of their responsibilities.