…By Joseph Benjamin for TDPel Media.
Speaker Abbas to Announce Principal Officers as Legislative Activities Resume
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, is set to announce the names of the Principal Officers when legislative activities resume on Tuesday.
This announcement is expected to take place, pending any last-minute changes, according to Nigerian Tribune.
Prior to the recent Sallah recess, Speaker Abbas had already named the members of the Selection Committee, which he will chair.
The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, will serve as the Deputy Chairman of the committee.
The primary responsibility of this committee, as outlined in the 10th edition of the Standing Order, is to nominate the Chairmen of various Standing Committees.
To ensure regional representation, representatives from each of the 36 States and the FCT Caucuses will be nominated to serve as members of this committee.
For the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), several members have been proposed as part of the Body of Principal Officers.
Hon. Julius Ihovbere is being considered for the position of Majority Leader, with Hon. Abubakar Halims (APC-Kogi) as the Deputy Majority Leader, and Usman Kumo (APC-Gombe) as the Chief Whip.
However, the nominee for the Deputy Chief Whip from the South West region remains unknown at the time of reporting.
On the side of the Minority Caucus, Hon. Kingsley Chinda has been selected as the Minority Leader, with Hon. George Ozodinobi (Labour Party – Anambra) nominated as the Deputy Minority Leader.
It’s worth noting that following the inauguration of the 10th Assembly, the PDP Caucus had previously announced the adoption of Hon. Ali Isa (PDP – Gombe) as the Minority Whip.