RismadarVoice Reporters, February 6, 2026
House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned the chairmen of the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over alleged financial breaches running into over ₦100 billion, following indictments by the Auditor-General for the FCT.
The affected councils are the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali.
An audit report for the year ended December 31, 2021, submitted to the Committee, revealed widespread cases of unremitted pension deductions, Pay-As-You-Earn taxes, Value Added Tax, and withholding taxes, alongside failure to update fixed asset registers and expenditures yet to be properly accounted for.
According to the report, the six councils recorded outstanding liabilities amounting to ₦7.65 billion as of December 31, 2021. A breakdown showed that AMAC owed ₦2.19 billion, Bwari ₦1.49 billion, Kwali ₦1.46 billion, Gwagwalada ₦1.01 billion, Kuje ₦892.2 million, and Abaji ₦593.8 million.
The Auditor-General also faulted the councils for poor asset management, citing Gwagwalada Area Council, where non-current assets valued at ₦336 million were not properly maintained, raising concerns about possible asset losses.
The report further raised alarm over ₦24.87 billion spent by the councils in 2021 on personnel, overheads, and capital projects. Despite an 89 per cent increase in expenditure compared to 2020, the councils failed to account for 37 per cent of funds allocated to capital projects.
Audit findings for 2022 and part of 2023 also uncovered additional infractions, including understatement of Internally Generated Revenue, unauthorised disposal of assets, non-disclosure of statutory revenue, and failure to remit withholding taxes to relevant authorities.
Reacting to the findings, PAC Chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, confirmed receipt of the audit reports and disclosed that three separate summons letters had been issued to the chairmen of the six councils and their respective Finance Directors.
Salam warned that the affected officials have been given a final opportunity to appear before the Committee on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, adding that failure to comply would compel the House to invoke its constitutional powers, including ordering their arrest.
He further revealed that the councils were also indicted for failure to audit and submit financial accounts for 2023, 2024, and 2025, in violation of statutory requirements, stressing that public funds must be managed with transparency and prudence.
The summons form part of the PAC’s statutory oversight role under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the Committee to examine audited accounts of public institutions, recover misappropriated funds, and enforce compliance with financial regulations.
