Competition Rises Among Lawmakers For Key Committee Positions

Just a week after the inauguration of Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly, lawmakers have already begun vying for leadership and membership roles in major standing committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Highly coveted committees overseeing powerful ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government – often labelled as ‘juicy’ due to their significant influence and budgetary allowances – have become the centre of this competition.

These ‘juicy’ committee positions are typically reserved for prominent members of the dominant political party, which currently is the All Progressives Congress (APC), and those loyal to the presiding officers.

Significant committees include those on Appropriations, Finance, Public Accounts, Defence, Police Affairs, National Security and Intelligence, Customs and Excise, and Ports and Harbours, among others.

One notable committee, the Public Accounts Committee, enjoys recognition by the 1999 Constitution and is usually led by an opposition member.

The committee holds substantial powers as it oversees the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which audits the accounts of all government ministries, departments, and agencies.

In the wake of new Senate and House leaders’ elections, lobbying has begun in earnest for these key committee roles.

Prominent elected officials include Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate; Jibrin Barau, Deputy President of the Senate; Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House; and Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker.

The next step involves the selection of principal officers who lead the majority and minority caucuses in the chambers.

The 9th Senate included a total of 69 committees overseeing various government agencies and parastatals. Of these, the Appropriations Committee and the Oil and Gas Committee were the most sought-after.

Several names are floating around in speculation for the chairmanship of these coveted committees, including Senator Adeola Solomon and Senator Sani Musa.

Responding to these rumours, Kayode Odunaro, the Chief Press Secretary to Senator Solomon, has labelled them mere speculation, noting that the elected officers are still settling into their roles and dealing with important matters such as senators’ welfare.

However, Odunaro confirmed that Senator Solomon was highly qualified for such a role, should he be considered for the Appropriations Committee.

Several lawmakers who were unsuccessful in their bids for principal officer roles have joined the race for committee positions.

With multiple members and groups looking for compensation in the 360-member chamber, House Speaker Abbas faces the challenge of appeasing a broad range of interests.

As Oluwole Oke, a ranking member of the House in a chat with Punch, stated, the appointment of committee members and chairs is ultimately at the Speaker’s discretion.

As such, the competition for committee chairmanship is an expected part of the process.