Pressure mounts on Wale Edun, Accountant-General to resign over unpaid 2024 contracts

In a statement on Wednesday, signed by its President, Segun
Daramola, and Secretary-General, Isaac Idachaba, the coalition said it would
formally approach the National Assembly and lobby lawmakers across party lines
to pass a vote of no confidence on the two officials if they refuse to vacate
their offices voluntarily.

The statement read, “This is no longer a mere administrative
delay; it is a calculated dereliction of duty. Contractors have completed
projects backed by law, projects approved and funded under the 2024
Appropriation Act, yet they are left unpaid and forced into bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is executing and paying for projects not
captured in either the 2024 or 2025 Appropriation Acts. This is unlawful, it is
reckless, and it is unacceptable,” the statement reads.

The coalition said the contradictions point to a troubling
pattern in the fiscal management of the country, where legal obligations are
ignored while off-budget expenditures receive priority.

According to the group, this not only undermines
transparency but also destroys confidence in the sanctity of the budget
process.

“What we are witnessing is a distortion of governance
itself. Appropriation is the foundation of democracy, the guarantee that public
money is spent as authorised by the people through their representatives,” the group
declared.

“If ministers and accountants can disregard this at will,
then the National Assembly must rise up. It is the duty of lawmakers now to
assert their authority by removing those who have so flagrantly undermined
them.”

The coalition noted that contractors across the federation
have complained of crippling debts, many of them having borrowed at exorbitant
rates from commercial banks to deliver on government projects.

CEAPF said the neglect has created a chain reaction of
economic distress, hitting small businesses, suppliers, and workers who depend
on the contracting system for their livelihoods.

“Government contracts are supposed to stimulate the economy.
Instead, under the stewardship of Mr. Wale Edun and the Accountant General,
they have become instruments of ruin. Firms are collapsing, workers are being
laid off, and banks are foreclosing on loans. This is economic sabotage by
negligence,” the statement said.

The group argued that the crisis has become both a financial
and moral issue, one that cannot be resolved by half-measures.

It insisted that resignation was the only honourable course
left for the finance minister and the accountant general, stressing that
anything less would amount to a “mockery of accountability”.

“Our democracy cannot survive on promises that are never
kept. If a government can budget for projects, award them, certify them, and
then refuse to pay while diverting resources to unbudgeted ventures, what
message does it send to citizens and investors? It tells the world that Nigeria
is lawless and that contracts mean nothing. That is why we must draw a line
here.”

The coalition also called on President Bola Tinubu to
intervene decisively, saying his own reputation as a reformer was being called
into question by the finance ministry’s failings.

“The President has spoken of fiscal discipline and reform.
This is the moment to prove that those words have meaning. If his team members
cannot carry out the most basic function of governance, honouring the budget
and paying for executed contracts, then they must step aside for those who
can,” the group declared.