BREAKING NEWS! RMAFC BOSS TO BE REMOVED SOON.

The re-appointment of Engr. Elias Mbam as the Executive Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has been stalled following a series of petitions by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State and a formidable opposition from other interests groups.

Mbam, a former Minister of State (Finance) from Ebonyi State, completed his first five years tenure as the chief executive of RMFAC in November 2015 and got a renewal appointment in July this year via a statement by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

We learnt that four months after his re-appointment was made public by OSFG on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, the process has encountered multiple hitches from his state as certain powerful forces in RMFAC and at the Presidency appear uncomfortable with his return.

A source conversant with the power play behind the scene told us that the biggest obstacle remains APC elements in his home state who flooded the Presidency with petitions alleging that Mbam is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and should not be allowed to serve in the present dispensation.

One of the sources explained: “You know he is a PDP member, so when news of his re-appointment was made public, staunch APC members from Ebonyi State, using the party arrowhead in the state, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, to register their protest.

Ordinarily, his name ought to have been sent to the National Assembly for confirmation by Mr. President. This is basically the reason. He is seen as a PDP person and APC members are aggrieved over his choice.

Again, there are other powerful interests within and outside of the Commission scheming for his position.” Yet another insider source said Mbam’s name was a creation of the OSGF.

“There were appointments OSGF announced without proper clearance from the Presidency and this is one of them. Recall that the President’s wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, made scathing outburst recently concerning some powerful personalities profiteering in this government without contributing a dime to the electioneering and formation of the party,” the source said. Speaking to our correspondent, a close confidant of the former RMAFC boss was very optimistic he will eventually be confirmed.

He described his present circumstance as a temporary setback. He said: “Yes, there was initial protest by some aggrieved APC chieftains in his state, led by Minister of Science and Technology, but I can tell you they have closed their ranks.

In fact, this man has moved to APC fold I can tell you that. I’m pretty sure his name will be included amongst the new set of CEOs that will be sent to the National Assembly for final clearance.” Mbam did not respond to phone calls and text messages sent across to his mobile phone.

The revenue commission presently has Alhaji Shettima Abba-Gana as acting chairman. Abba- Gana has been in acting capacity for close to one year.Meanwhile, no fewer than 23 Commissioners of RMAFC have served out their tenure with no replacement yet by their respective states. Inquiries by our corre-spondent revealed that another three commissioners were on the verge of completing their tenures.

There are 37 commissioners at RMAFC, from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. An insider source at the commission told us, “the commissioners didn’t start their tenure at the same time, so you don’t expect them to finish same time.”

Spokesperson for the commission, Mallam Ibrahim Mohammed, confirmed to us that some commissioners had served out their tenure and their replacements were being awaited.

“The good thing is that, no vacuum is created because the Commission is carrying on with its core mandates,” Ibrahim told our source.