The Bauchi State House of Assembly and the Office of the Auditor-General have rejected allegations arising from WikkiTimes’ investigation into the alleged N2.9 billion undocumented public spending, even as the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) reiterated its demand for the arrest and prosecution of heads of affected ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
Responding to the investigation, the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Mubarak Haruna, dismissed claims that the committee failed to carry out its oversight responsibilities. Speaking at a press briefing, Haruna, who represents Jama’are Constituency, described allegations that the committee ignored audit queries or failed to act as baseless and unfounded.
He stressed that he is not a member of the ruling party and that his comments were aimed at correcting what he described as “falsehoods being circulated by some mischievous individuals who are bent on blackmailing the Bauchi State Government, the Governor, and particularly the House of Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.”
According to Haruna, since the inauguration of the current Assembly, the Public Accounts Committee has discharged its constitutional duties by visiting MDAs, scrutinising financial records presented by their management teams, holding public hearings with accounting officers, monitoring the implementation of audit recommendations, and reviewing audit reports for both state and local governments.
The Office of the Auditor-General of Bauchi State also issued a separate clarification in response to the investigation. While the office did not directly refute the substance of WikkiTimes’ findings, it faulted the use of the term “ghost vouchers,” arguing that “ghost payees” is the more accurate expression in audit practice. The office described the former term as misleading.
The Auditor-General’s statement further noted that no payment voucher bore the name of Dr. Aminu Gamawa, an official mentioned in the investigation. WikkiTimes, however, in its reporting, did not attribute vouchers personally to Dr. Gamawa, but identified his office among those flagged in the audit report for financial lapses.
Despite the pushback from the Assembly and the Auditor-General’s office, the PRP maintained that the audit findings point to serious governance failures. The party described the revelations as an indictment of the state’s financial management system and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to launch an independent investigation.
The PRP specifically demanded that heads of implicated MDAs, including the Chief of Staff, be questioned and prosecuted where culpability is established. It also urged recovering any allegedly misappropriated funds and implementing stronger safeguards to prevent future financial misconduct.
WikkiTimes’ investigation, published in two parts, (here and here ) detailed how several institutions, including Government House, Sa’adu Zungur University, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, and multiple MDAs, allegedly processed payments without adequate supporting documentation, failed to remit revenues, and breached basic financial control rules. The newsroom stated that its reporting is grounded in documented audit findings and that it stands by the public interest value of the investigation.
