Indications have emerged that the Senate and House of Representatives will on Thursday announce its remaining standing committees.
Naija News reports that Thursday will be the last plenary before the lawmakers proceed on their annual vacation.
Lawmakers have revealed that choosing to announce the remaining committee chairpersons and members that day is to prevent aggrieved members from protesting.
A lawmaker noted that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the leadership deliberately decided to announce the committees’ chairmanship on the last day of plenary so that the lawmakers would be without a choice and by the end of the holiday, the tension would have died down.
The senator said, “The committee members will be named on the last day of the plenary session before we embark on our annual holiday.
“This is because a lot of people will be shocked, and there won’t be any opportunity to do anything about it.
“By the time the plenary resumes towards the end of September, the tension would have died down, and calm would have been restored.”
Sources in the Senate told The PUNCH that all the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers would chair one committee or the other.
One of the sources noted that when all the 59 lawmakers on the ruling party’s platform, excluding the principal officers, had been sorted, the People Democratic Party (PDP) and other minority parties would find their way around the rest.
The source also stated that even some principal officers would not be left out of the headship of committees.
The source stated, “The remaining committees will be announced on Thursday, July 27, which is going to be the last plenary day before we go on our usual long vacation.
“All the 59 APC senators will chair one committee or the other. Once we are all settled, the PDP and the other opposition parties can now have the rest. That is the plan on the ground.
“We know that all the APC lawmakers will get something; we are not just sure of who gets what.”
Another lawmaker from the South-East stated that priority would be given to lawmakers from the ruling party, but the APC would be fair to all.
“The party will be fair to all, but top priority will be given to lawmakers from the ruling party.
“Whether you are in Yari or Akpabio’s camp, everyone will get a good share. The rest can then be given to the opposition parties,” he said.
Recall that the Senate President had named the chairs and members of the special committees of the Senate.
Members of the Senate Selection Committee, mainly composed of the presiding officers and principal officers of the upper chamber, include Akpabio, Barau Jibrin, Opeyemi Bamidele, Ali Ndume, Dave Umahi, and Lola Ashiru.
Others are senators Simon Mwadkwon, Oyewumi Olarere, Darlington Nwokeocha, and Rufai Hanga.
Akpabio named Adeola (APC, Ogun West) as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Ndume (APC, Borno South) as the vice-chairman.
Senator Titus Zam (APC, Benue Northwest) was named as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, with Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) as vice-chairman, while Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) was appointed Chairman, Committee on Senate Services, with Senator Williams Jonah named as his deputy.
Others are the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, with Senator Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu East) as chairman and Khalid Mustapha as vice-chairman.
Also named was Senator Ahmed Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West) as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and Senator Onyeka Peter Nwebonyi as the vice-chairman.
The Committee on National Security and Intelligence has Senator Shehu Umar (APC, Bauchi South) as chairman and Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong as vice-chairman.
In addition, the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance has Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South) as chairman and Senator Ede Dafinone as vice-chairman.
The Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs has Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) as chairman and Senator Salisu Afolabi as vice-chairman.
Senator Francis Fadahunsi (PDP, Osun East) was on Wednesday named Chairman of the ad hoc committee on Customs to investigate the issue of open firearms. Other members of the committee are Shuaibu Lau (PDP, Taraba North); Kawu Suleiman (NNPP, Kano South); Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North); Umar Sadiq (APC, Kwara North ); and Akpan Samson (PDP, Akwa Ibom South), among others.
Also, on Thursday, Akpabio named Senator Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) as Chairman of the Committee on Internal Security. Other committee members include senators Sunday Marshall, Fadeyi Olubiyi, Elisha Abbo, Peter Jiya, and Sunday Karimi, among others.
Abdulaziz Yar’adua (APC, Katsina central), a retired colonel and brother to the late President Umar Yar’Adua, would be the chairman of the Defence Committee.
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