There are indications that the House of Representatives may be heading for a fresh crisis when the lawmakers resume next week.
Reason: Some of the lawmakers are dissatisfied with the way and manner Speaker Yakubu Dogara shared the leadership of the 96 committees of the House.
Since the list was circulated and names of the chairmen of the committees announced Thursday, some of the lawmakers who felt shortchanged, especially within the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) have been alleging that although members of their party got 48 committees as against 45 given to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the latter got more strategic committees.
A highly placed source in the House, last night said that House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila was not the one wronged by Dogara’s action but the majority APC members.
He said that it is on record that the House Leader has no faction or camp in the House since the resolution of the leadership crisis arising from the speakership election, hence there is no way he will be offended with the sharing formula of the committees’ headship.
The source added that the APC was offended because given the fact that it is the party with majority, it has shared the chairmanship of the standing committees almost on equal basis with PDP members.
“Look at the percentage gap. Most of the key committees that will help Mr. President drive his Change Agenda are with the opposition members. I wonder if the change will come from the House,” he said.
But the Speaker’s camp denied the allegation, claiming rather that Dogara appointed 50 loyalists of his erstwhile rival and current majority leader, Gbajabiamila, as chairmen and deputy chairmen of various Standing Committees of the House.
The clarification was made by the Speaker’s special adviser (Media and Publicity) Turaki Hassan, in some documents and correspondence showing that the appointment of chairmen and deputy chairmen of the 96 committees was jointly done by the leadership of the House comprising all principal officers at a scheduled meeting.
According to the documents, 21 members of the House from Gbajabiamila’s camp formerly called the Loyalists Group, were appointed as chairmen of committees while another 29 were appointed deputy chairmen.
The remaining 75 chairmen are mostly on Dogara’s side from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who rallied support for his speakership ambition and ditto in the case of the 67 deputy chairmen of committees.
According to a letter of invitation sent to all the principal officers dated, October 21, 2015 and signed by the Chief of Staff to the Speaker, Hon. Jerry Manwe, they were to consult on appointment of committee chairmen on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
Gbajabiamila was said to have attended the meeting before proceeding to the day’s plenary, where the composition of the committees and their headship were announced.
The committee chairmen from the House leader’s camp are: Hons. Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Yinka Ajayi, Jide Akinloye, Peter Akpatason, Faleke James, Kayode Oladele, Sani Zoro, Fakeye Olufemi, Abiodun Oladipo, Ali Mohammed and Wale Oke.
Other chairmen include Hons. Oker Jev, Sani Zagon Daura, Garba Datti, Idris Mohammed, Tijjani Jobe Abdulkadir, Aminu Suleiman, Balogun Yakub, Olatoye Sugar and Hussein Kangiwa.
Those who got appointed as deputy chairmen from the same camp are Daiyabu Safana, Amir Tukur, Samuel Olusegun Williams, Isiaka Ibrahim, Aminu Mani, Umar M. Rofia, Tasir Raji, Rufai Chanchangi, Shehu Musa, Ismaila Suleiman, Muktari Dandutse, Ogun Sergius Oseasochie, Mohammed Jega, Saidu Yusuf Maiya, Mojeed Alabi and Diya Oyewole.
The rest include Munir Dan’Agundi, Abdullahi Hassan Suru, Fagge, Abubakar Chika, Ogunwuyi Segun, Nasir Ali Ahmed, Kurfi, Siddi Yakubu Karsuwa, Mohammed Gololo, Ibrahim Baba, Fulata Abubakar, Ahmed Garba Bichi and Olubode Ayorinde.
Corroborating Dogara’s position, a member of the PDP in the House of Representatives who craved anonymity, described those attacking the Speaker as lawmakers, reiterating that the politician was ‘fair to all in allocating the committees.”