Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu, the National Coordinator of DCD, argued in an Abuja statement that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu violated the seniority norm by appointing a junior director before his superiors since the Federal Civil Service Commission had mislead him.
Thus, the organization asked the Senate to reject the nomination of the new Auditor General of the Federation and called on President Tinubu to reconsider the situation.
The organization stated: "We cannot remain silent and watch when things are not going well as a group dedicated to defending constitutional democracy." There has been a flagrant violation of Civil Service Rules and Regulations in the appointment of Mr. Shaakaa Chira.
"Mr. President, we will ask that you revoke the appointment immediately and direct that the appropriate action be taken.
First off, sir, according to the Office of Auditor General's seniority list of directors, Mr. Shaakaa Chira is ranked number eighteen. His seniors are seventeen directors. In 2022, he was promoted to the position of director, and it was improper for him to be nominated and appointed above extremely senior directors. He joined the department in December of last year, having only worked in one since 2010. He was promoted in January of 2021, and the exercise took place in September of 2022 and early December of 2023.
"Secondly, there was no explanation provided for the abrupt abandonment of the initial appointment procedure for the Auditor General, which came to an end in 2021. Why was the first procedure abandoned and some directors barred from taking part in the most recent arrangement that resulted in Mr. Chira? The assembly asked.
Alhaji Aliyu stated that "Mr. Chira has not headed any unit prior to his shocking appointment as AuGF, aside from being a junior director," as his further justification for the appointment's reversal.
The Group stated that the entire purpose of overhauling the audit industry and the Civil Service would have been thwarted if the appointment were to be approved because it would "breed rancour and disharmony within the rank of directors who are far senior to the appointee."
In light of this, the DCD is pleading with the Senate to uphold the applicable Civil Service Rules and Regulations when it comes to the nomination of a new AuGF, rather than approving Mr. Shaakaa Chira's appointment as Auditor General of the Federation.
"We would like the Honorable Senate to be aware that the appointment of a junior director as the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) has caused career officers' morale to plummet to an unprecedented level, as such a distortion has never before occurred in the Civil Service's history.
The group recommended that the appointment be made on the basis of professionalism and merit rather than becoming a political matter.