The House of Representatives has taken a decisive stance against the head of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), issuing a stern 72-hour ultimatum for his appearance before a key committee. The lawmakers have threatened to issue a warrant for his arrest if he fails to comply.
Ultimatum Issued After Repeated Snubs
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House has directed the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, to appear before it on Tuesday, 9 December 2025. This directive follows reports that Dr. Otuaro ignored six consecutive invitations sent by the committee, a situation that sparked significant outrage during a public hearing on Thursday, 4 December 2025.
The committee's patience finally ran out, leading Hon. Dominic Okafor to move a motion for a warrant of arrest. The motion was promptly seconded by Hon. Aliyu Bappa Missau and received unanimous support from all committee members present. The clear message is that the Coordinator's appearance is now mandatory.
Details of the ₦26 Billion Audit Queries
The summons is connected to a damning report from the Auditor-General of the Federation, which highlights several alarming financial breaches within the PAP. The audit queries involve a staggering sum of over ₦26 billion.
The specific allegations include serious violations of financial regulations:
- Breaching the Federal Government's e-payment policy on expenditures totalling ₦17.6 billion.
- Making payments worth ₦3.6 billion without the necessary internal audit checks.
- Disbursing ₦1.5 billion for tuition fees without any supporting documents.
- Circumventing established procurement processes.
- Issuing cash advances above approved financial limits, amounting to ₦1.2 billion.
These discrepancies point to potential systemic financial misconduct within the agency tasked with rehabilitating former Niger Delta militants.
Committee Chairman's Firm Stance
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, has declared the Coordinator's appearance as non-negotiable. He emphasized that Dr. Otuaro must present himself alongside other principal officers of the Programme to provide a full defence against the audit observations.
"The Committee will not tolerate further disregard for parliamentary authority," Salam warned. "This is a constitutional oversight function, and the Coordinator must appear to provide clarifications on the audit queries."
The Presidential Amnesty Programme, established in 2009, has been under periodic scrutiny for its management of funds. This current probe is part of a broader initiative by the National Assembly to enforce strict accountability in federal agencies that handle large intervention funds.
With the 72-hour deadline now active, national attention is fixed on Dr. Otuaro and the Presidential Amnesty Programme. The House of Representatives is poised to assert its oversight powers decisively regarding the contentious ₦26 billion audit report.
