National Assembly: Intense Lobby Begins For Top Committees

Following the selection of principal officers in the Nigeria Senate, the focus has shifted to who occupies juicy committees.

It was gathered that the list of members of Senate Selection Committee, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs,  the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, are ready.

Senators are reportedly in intense lobbying in other not to be left out in the scheme of things.

The class ‘A’ committees including Senates Services, Appropriation, Finance, Petroleum (down and upstream), Customs, NDDC, Maritime, Police Affairs, Communications, Power and Steel Development and few others, are said to be hotly chased by senators.

The possible release of names of principal officers on Tuesday may likely increase the struggle for committee positions.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators are said to be banking on their majority status in the Senate to chair most of the committees.

While Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators are said to have been “rallying to the Abuja home of the anointed minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, to stand in for them.”

A North Central Senato told The Nation that nothing was wrong in lobbying for committees.

He said: “Lobbying is the game of politicians. There is nothing wrong with lobbying because that is the way you get things done in parliament.

“It is only that in this clime, people read a lot of negative meanings into lobbying. You lobby to serve in a committee you feel your legislative functions can be better served not necessarily for monetary gains.”