Saraki Constitutes 65 Senate Standing Committees, As APC Chairs 41, PDP Gets 24

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, November 4th, 2015

*Some APC, PDP Senators Unhappy With Position They Get

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

The President of the Senate , Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday announced the composition of the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of senate standing committees, with 41 of the committee’s chairmanship positions going to the All Progressives Congress ( APC) and the remaining 24 given to senators of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP).

Saraki also adjourned the Senate till Tuesday next week , as against today, 5th October 2015, slated for continuation of his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

APC Senators who clinched chairmanship positions of some of the choice committees are- Danjuma Goje ( Appropriation), Abdullahi Adamu ( Agriculture ), George Akume ( Army), Tayo Alasoadura ( Petroleum Upstream) and Kabiru Gaya ( Works).Others are, Dino Melaye ( FCT ), Ahmad Lawan ( Defence), Monsurat Sunmonu ( Foreign Affairs), Lanre Tejuoso ( Health), Barnabas Gemade ( Housing), Aliyu Wammako (Basic Education and Secondary), Ahmad Sani Yerima ( Marine Transport) etc.The PDP senators made chairmen of juicy committees out of the 24 given to them are Hope Uzodinma ( Aviation), Uche Ekwunife ( Petroleum Downstream), John Enoh ( Finance) , Bassey Albert Akpan ( Gas), George Sekibo ( Interior) and Sam Egu ( Industry)

Others are Eyinnaya Abaribe ( Information and National Orientation), Samuel Faseyi ( Airforce), Gilbert Nnaji ( Communication), James Manager ( Power) , Ben Bruce ( Privatisation), Godfrey Utazi ( Anti- Corruption and Financial Crimes), Peter Nwaboshi ( Niger Delta) etc.On zonal basis , the North Central Geo political zone where the Senate President comes from, has the highest number of chairmanship positions of the committees which is 12, while North East and North West , have 11 each.In the South, South west has the highest number of 11 chairmanship positions while both the South- South and South East, have 10 each.

Although the 44 senators across party lines who were not made Chairmen of any of the committees got compensated in one way or the other as Vice Chairmen of the 65 committees but all in all, while only 19 out of 60 APC senators were unlucky to be given chairmanship position of any of the committees, 25 out of the 49 PDP senators were left out of the chairmanship positions.

A development that as authoritatively learnt, did not go down well with the PDP senators, who however refused to speak to the press over the matter.

Even among the APC senators, information has it that Senators like Oluremi Tinubu given the chairmanship position of Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Ahmad Lawan who is now Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, are not happy with the offer .

While Lawan was seen storming out of the senate chamber immediately Saraki adjourned its sittings to Tuesday next week, Tinubu refused out rightly to speak with journalists over the matter when accosted to do so.

Other APC Senators belonging to the Unity Forum Group and not the pro – Saraki Like Minds group , made Chairmen of committees considered to be less important , are Kabiru Marafa ( National Identity and National Population) and Sulaiman Hunkunyi ( Vice Chairman Committee on Federal Character).

However the Senate President while announcing the composition of the Committees , admonished the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen that it must not be business as usual as far as oversight functions of the committees are concerned.