Intense Lobbying As Senators Vie For Key Committee Roles

Senators are lobbying intensely for the chairmanship of significant committees as the 10th Senate begins to form its special and standing committees.

The minority caucus has decided to unite and push for these leadership roles collectively.

The competition for the chairmanship of the 63 standing committees is fierce, with party affiliation, seniority, loyalty, previous governorship, and personal connections all playing a role in determining the outcomes.

The same can be said for the nine special committees, intensifying as senators return from recess.

Recall that Godswill Akpabio became Senate president on Tuesday, June 13, defeating former Zamfara State Governor Senator Abdulaziz Yari with 63 votes to 46.

Now, the competition is particularly intense for leadership of high-profile committees such as Appropriations, Services, Downstream Petroleum Sector, Upstream Petroleum Sector, Banking, Insurance and other financial institutions, among others.

The opposition parties have decided to present a united front in their bid for the chairmanship of these important committees.

They aim to make collective demands to Senate President Akpabio, who heads the selection committee, seeing this as a more effective strategy than individual negotiations.

The job of carrying out this strategy was given to Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Nwadkwon and other minority leaders during a meeting on Thursday, July 6.

A source told Vanguard that they agreed that to secure leadership positions in Grade A committees, the minority caucus should present their demands as a united front, rather than individual lobbying efforts.

Currently, the ruling APC has 59 senators, the PDP has 36, Labour Party has eight, New Nigeria Peoples Party has two, Social Democratic Party has two, the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the Young Progressives Party have one each.