The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, ranked the majority All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party neck-to-neck on Thursday as he named the chairmen of 96 standing committees of the House.

Dogara, a member of the APC from Bauchi State, announced the committees on the floor of the House after several weeks of speculation and more than four months after the inauguration of the Eight Assembly on June 9.

The APC got 47 of the committees, while the PDP followed closely with 46 committees, leaving out the balance of four committees for smaller parties like the Social Democratic Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

However, the Speaker ensured that his loyalists in both the APC and the PDP got prime committees, otherwise known as ‘juicy committees’, in the parlance of the House.

As The PUNCH predicted in an exclusive report on Monday, Dogara’s key ally from Kano State, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC) is the new Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation.

Another of his ally from Katsina State, Mr. Babangida Ibrahim (APC), is the chairman, Committee on Finance.

His allies in the PDP took the two petroleum committees. Mr. Akinlaja Joseph from Ondo State (PDP), heads the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), while Mr. Victor Nwokolo from Delta State (PDP), is the Chairman, Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

The PDP’s Mr. Tobi Okechukwu from Enugu State, heads the Committee on Works, while another PDP member from Bayelsa State, is the Chairman, Committee on Gas Resources.

The PDP also heads the Committee on Army, Mr. Rima Shawulu (Taraba State); Committee Air Force, Mr. Sampson Okwu (Benue State); and Committee on Aviation, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia State).

However, the Committee on Defence went to a member of the APC from Borno State, Mr. Murktar Aliyu.

The majority party’s Mr. James Faleke from Lagos State, heads the Committee on Customs and Excise, while Mr. Abdussamad Dasuki from Sokoto State, chairs the Committee on Navy.

Another APC member from Kaduna State, Mr. Hassan Shekarau, heads the Committee on Pensions.

Other key committees headed by the APC are committees on electoral matters, telecommunications, housing, healthcare services, interior, water resources, tertiary education services, land transport, police affairs, population, privatisation and commercialisation, House services, steel and agricultural production services.

But, findings indicated that many members, especially from the South-West, felt that the PDP got better committees than the APC.

A member, who pleaded not to be named, stated that some APC members were unhappy.

The source spoke further, “The PDP has many prime committees, including the committees on power, banking and currency, drugs/narcotics and capital market.

“The distribution of the committees also did not favour the South-West APC, as they did not get major committees in the real sense.

“From the distribution, the key committees that should drive the agenda of the APC’s government are in the hands of the opposition.

“During the 7th Assembly, the opposition got only 16 committees and about three key committees.

“This time around, the majority party and the opposition are almost on tie in terms of the number of committees each side got.”

Dogara had waited till the House concluded all of its business on the Order Paper before he announced the committees.

He had tucked the list in the pocket of his flowing gown all day, reaching for it only seconds before reading out the names amid a pint-drop silence.

Some members attempted to raise points of order as he ended the announcement but he simply ignored them and called for the adjournment of the House till Tuesday next week.

http://www.punchng.com/news/apc-pdp-share-committees-as-dogara-names-reps-chairmen/

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The first ruling opposition party in Africa

The distribution of the committees also did not favour the South-West APC, as they did not get major committees in the real sense.

They should go and meet Gbajabiamilla to give them juicy committees then

Okay, let the business begin.

PDP ain't Lost!

We ain't that bleached piece of thread in Nigerias Political Fabric!

We On The Rise!

Hiccups Happen!

Foolish politicians that all they know