Following the constitution of a selection committee to recommend members for appointment as Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of standing committees in the House of Representatives, intense lobby has begun for appointment into what are regarded as ‘juicy’ committees.
Last Thursday, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas named himself as chairman of the selection committee with one member each from the 36 states. The committee is expected to come up with a list which is likely to be announced when the House resumes plenary on Monday.
The Nation reports that old and new members had begun lobbying for ‘juicy’ committee appointments.
The last Assembly had over 100 committees with some of them supervising only one agency while others had over five agencies to supervise.
It was gathered that the immediate past Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Muktar Betara may be handed back his committee as part of the deal struck with him before he stepped down from the Speakership contest.
He was said to have also been assured that some of his loyalists would be considered for committee chairmanship and deputy chairmanship.
Many lawmakers consider committees that oversee Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government(MDAs) with enormous influence and huge budgets as ‘juicy’, and such committees are often reserved for key members of the leading party and those loyal to the presiding officers.
The committee on Public Accounts, which is the only committee recognised by the Constitution; and the Committee on Public Petition, are also reserved for members of the opposition.
While Hon. Wole Oke, who headed the Public Accounts Committee in the ninth Assembly was reelected for the 10th Assembly, his colleague in public petition, Hon. Jerry Alagbaoso did not make it back.
Oke, who was one of those tipped to be Minority Leader, is however said to have backed down for Hon. Kingsley Chinda and may be asked to retain his committee if he fails to make it to the leadership of the House.
The committee oversees the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which audits the accounts of all MDAs.
The committee has the power to uphold audit queries or recommend their nullification after grilling heads of the MDAs.
However, the announcement of committee headship may have to wait till the principals officers are named by the parties.
They are the Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Deputy Majority Whip, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
The eight political parties in the House supported the Abbas’ emergence as Speaker and expect to be compensated with committee headship.
The All Progressives Congress has 177 members in the House; the Peoples Democratic Party has 117 members; Labour Party 35; New Nigeria People’s Party, 19; All Progressives Grand Alliance, five; Social Democratic Party, two; African Democratic Congress, two; and the Young Progressives Party, one, totalling 181 opposition members; while one seat is vacant as a result of death, while another has been declared vacant following the resignation of former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who is now Chief of Staff to the President.
