The House of Representatives has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Otuaro, directing him to appear before its Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on December 9, 2025, to answer audit queries involving over N26 billion.
The Committee, at its proceedings on Thursday, warned that failure to honour the invitation would force the House to issue a warrant for his arrest to compel his appearance.
The ultimatum comes after Otuaro reportedly ignored six consecutive invitations sent to him by the Committee. His repeated absence triggered outrage during Thursday’s public hearing, prompting Hon. Dominic Okafor to move a motion for a warrant of arrest.
The motion was seconded by Hon. Aliyu Bappa Missau and unanimously supported by Committee members.
According to details from the Auditor-General’s report currently under scrutiny, the Presidential Amnesty Programme is alleged to have committed several serious financial breaches.
These include: Violating the Federal government’s e-payment policy on expenditures totaling N17.6 billion; paying N3.6 billion without internal audit checks; disbursing N1.5 billion for tuition fees without supporting documents; circumventing procurement processes; issuing cash advances above approved financial thresholds amounting to N1.2 billion; and other discrepancies suggesting systemic financial misconduct.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, declared that the PAP Coordinator’s appearance on Tuesday is non-negotiable. He stressed that Otuaro must show up with other principal officers of the Programme to fully address and defend 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 PAP, created in 2009 to rehabilitate and reintegrate former Niger Delta militants, has faced periodic scrutiny over its financial management.
The ongoing probe is part of a broader effort by the National Assembly to enforce accountability in federal agencies handling large intervention funds.
With the 72-hour deadline now ticking, all eyes are on Dr. Otuaro and the Presidential Amnesty Programme as the House moves to assert its oversight powers over the contentious N26 billion audit report.