Daunting Task Before 10th N’Assembly

Crucial legislative duties await Senators and members of the House of Representatives as they resume plenary on July 4.

Federal lawmakers who have been on two weeks break, will resume plenary on Tuesday, July 4th to fully commence the 10th National Assembly’s legislative business.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives had adjourned plenary until July 4 to be able to assign permanent sitting positions and offices to the returning and new lawmakers.

Before adjourning, both chambers sat briefly after a keenly contested election. The choice of the 10th Assembly’s principal officers as consensus candidates of the All Progressive Congress, had then generated criticisms, as other candidates rejected it vowing to go against the ruling party’s choice.

However on inauguration day, the ruling party’s choice all emerged victorious. Senator Godswill Akpabio, representing Akwa Ibom north-west, was elected as the Senate President. He defeated Abdulaziz Yari, senator representing Zamfara central, to win the election.

Akpabio polled 63 votes, while Yari scored 46 votes. Also APC’s Deputy Senate President consensus candidate Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano state was declared winner.

At the House, it was a three horse race, but Hon. Tajudeen Abass (Kaduna) and Hon. Benjamin Kalu (Abia) emerged victorious and were declared Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

Abbas polled a total of 353 votes to beat his rivals, immediate past Deputy Speaker of the 9th House, Hon. Idris Wase and a former chairman of the House Committee on National Intelligence, Hon. Aminu Jaji who scored three votes each. Hon. Kalu was elected unopposed.

In his inaugural speech, President of the Senate and former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Akpabio, vowed that the 10th Senate will surpass the expectations of Nigerians in building a prosperous nation

His counterpart in the House of Representatives, Abbas assured that his administration would be just, fair and guided by the constitution of the land.

The duo in their separate speeches vowed to work closely and inter-dependently with the Executive and Judiciary to give Nigerians the good governance they deserve.

They promised to, among other issues, focus on strengthening the country’s security apparatus, by collaborating with relevant stakeholders to combat insurgency, terrorism.

As another legislative session is about to begin, expectations are high as they commence work to attend to crucial national issues and several unfinished business.

Majority, Minority Leadership and Committees Chairmanship Crisis

The presiding officers in both chambers are expected to announce headship and membership of the standing committees. There are reports of bickering among the lawmakers over scramble for both headship and membership of “juicy” Committees.

Also ranking members are jostling for the Principal Officers positions. The Principal Officers of the House are Majority Leader, Deputy Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Whip, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.

With the election of Senate President Akpabio (South South), Deputy Senate President Barau (North West), Speaker, Abbas (North-West) and Deputy Speaker, Kalu (South/East), lawmakers from other zones particularly North/East and North/Central are jostling for the majority and minority leadership position.

At the Senate, the minority leadership seat appears to be creating uneasy calm among senators who are members of the opposition parties following alleged moves to impose leadership on them.

Senators elected on the platforms of other opposition political parties have kicked against alleged moves by the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 poll, Atiku Abubakar, to pick a former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, as the Senate Minority Leader.

The Senators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, alleged that Atiku had submitted Tambuwal’s name alongside other preferred senators in the minority caucus to the PDP for appointment as principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.

At the House, it was reported that the former Governor Nyesom Wike’s backed candidate Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) emerged Minority Leader against the former Vice President Atiku’s candidate, Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun) while George Ibezimako Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra) had been picked for the Deputy Minority Leader.

It will officially be confirmed when the Speaker announces it through a letter sent to the parliament via the party.

The reports came days after members-elect from the South-west on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) had demanded that the position of Minority Leader in the 10th House be ceded to the geopolitical zone.

The lawmakers-elect made the demand in a letter dated June 9, 2023 and addressed to the PDP National Chairman. The letter was signed by 15 members-elect including Bamidele Salam, Wole Oke from Osun; Ojo Makanjola from Oyo, Festus Akingbaso from Ondo, Adebayo Adepoju from Oyo, Stanley Adediji from Oyo, among others.

In the letter, the PDP members-elect argued that the Minority Leader position in the 8th and 9th House was occupied by Hon. Leo Ogor and Hon. Ndudi Elumelu who were both from the South/South zone of the country. They insisted that in the interest of fairness, equity and justice, the South/west should be considered to fill the position of Minority Leader in the 10th House of Representatives.

Insecurity, Confirmation of Appointment of Service Chiefs

In previous assemblies, security issues have always been the crux of discussion on the floor of the Senate and House, as several security-related motions and bills were passed by the lawmakers.

However the country’s security situation is worsening by the day. The 10th National Assembly is expected to come up with more ideas to help the executive arm of government curb insecurity.

The federal lawmakers are expected on resumption to screen the new Service Chiefs, Inspector-General of Police and Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu.

The appointees are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation by the National Assembly. They will appear before the Defence Committee when constituted.

The Senators on resumption will also screen ministerial appointees as soon as the names are forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.

Legislative Agenda

Both chambers on resumption, are expected to unveil their legislative agenda in which they will list their priorities, areas of focus for the next four years.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, had in his inaugural address said under his watch, the 10th House shall sustain and even surpass the gains of the 9th House.

He said the 10th House will introduce reforms and innovations for the benefit of Nigerians, announcing that in a few weeks, the Green Chamber shall be reeling out the legislative agenda that will shape the 10th House.

The presiding officers are expected to hit the ground running. Expectations are high as they took over from an assembly known to be the most productive of all assemblies in the history of the Parliament.