MAJORITY Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, never consulted him before he appointed 96 chairmen and deputies of standing committees of the House.
Though Gbajabiamila said it was the prerogative of the speaker to appoint any member of the House to head its committees, the majority leader nonetheless argued that under the rules of the House, Dogara was required to consult all principal officers while appointing committee chairmen.
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| Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila |
Gbajabiamila alleged, in an October 20 letter he wrote to Dogara, just two days to October 22 when the speaker named the committee heads, that his (Majority Leader’s) office had not been accorded due recognition by the speaker in the running of House affairs.
He specifically quoted Order 7 Rule 10, paragraph (a) of the House rules, which states that the speaker “shall in consultation with principal officers, appoint the chairmen and deputy chairmen from among the members on the committee.”
He also noted that as both House Leader and Majority Leader, the rules provided that he should “liaise with committee chairmen and other functionaries of the House” for the smooth running of the legislature.
The letter, which was made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday, confirmed an exclusive report by The PUNCH last week that there was a cold war between Dogara and Gbajabiamila over appointments into the committees.
However, the leadership of the House reacted by saying that “Gbajabiamila was totally consulted” before Dogara picked the chairmen.
Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, who gave the side of the leadership, explained that there was a difference between consultation and the power of appointment.
Namdas said, “The leader was totally consulted in keeping with our rules.
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