A report by New Telegraph indicates that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas are preparing to reorganise the National Assembly’s standing committees as federal lawmakers reconvene after their annual break.
The National Assembly source, who is privy to the development, said Akpabio and Abbas received a deluge of complaints from their irate colleagues during recess about handling the National Assembly committee membership.
The legislature leaders were said to have appeased their protesting colleagues with an assurance of their readiness to review the exercise upon resumption of plenary today.
Multiple sources close to the two presiding officers also said that the two National Assembly leaders had agreed to swap the leadership of the committees as well as create new committees to accommodate the interests of the lawmakers.
The decision to rejig the committees of the 10th National Assembly was reaffirmed by Akpabio and Abbas at the retreat held at Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday.
The composition of the committees and allocation of chairpersons and vice-chairmen to the senators and representatives had generated protests and anger, with some aggrieved members threatening to unseat the presiding officers when the National Assembly resumes plenary.
One of the sources said, “The leadership of the various committees in the National Assembly is going to be rejigged to address perceived marginalisation and exclusion by some states and legislators.”
One other source disclosed that the latest development had triggered fresh jostling by the lawmakers for recognition to head either new committees or be given juicy committees in the planned swap of the leadership of the committees announced in July.
“The aggrieved lawmakers are hopeful and expectant that the presiding officers will ensure justice and fairness when the National Assembly reconvenes today so that everyone would be happy and move forward in the nation’s interest,” the source added.
