Politics

Lobby For Juicy C’ittee Intensifies In Senate

Published

3 years ago

July 10, 2023

Editor

Senate

Ahead of the composition of special and standing committees in the 10th Senate, intense lobby for the juicy ones has commenced among senators.

This is even as the minority caucus has resolved to fight for chairmanship of the juicy committees as a bloc.

The fight for who chairs the 63 standing committees has become tensed, with the issue of ranking, party affiliation, loyalists, former governors and close associates shaping the composition.

Though the fight for who chairs the nine special committees and 63 others has been outside the Assembly but with the resumption of senators from recess, intense politicking lobbying, intrigues and nocturnal meetings have reached a cresecndo.

It will be recalled that Senator Godswill Akpabio emerged president of the Senate on Tuesday, June 13, having scored 63 votes to defeat the former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari (APC, Zanfara West), who polled 46 votes.

The lobby is more intensed for chairmanship of such committees as Appropriations, Services, Downstream Petroleum Sector, Upstream Petroleum Sector, Banking, Insurance and other financial institutions.

Others include Army, Defence, Finance, Navy, Niger Delta Affairs, Customs, Excise and Tariff, Gas, Works, Foreign Affairs, Health, and Power.

Also, all the parties in the opposition have resolved to act as a bloc with regard to securing the chairmanship of juicy committees.

According to the opposition political parties, the decision to act as a bloc was taken to forward their demands to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who chairs the selection committee to enable him see and address the matter as a collective and very serious one, rather than individual negotiation that may not yield results.

Vanguard gathered that this assignment was given to the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Nwadkwon (PDP, Plateau North), and other minority leaders to handle during the Thursday, July 6 meeting.

A source told Vanguard that at the meeting held in Room 221 of the new Senate wing, a ranking senator from the North-East geo-political zone of the country told his colleagues that if results must be achieved with regard to getting chairmanship positions into Grade A committees, the minority caucus must go with list of committees as a bloc, instead of individuals going to lobby for them.

According to the source, the suggestion was agreed on unanimously by the senators as the minority caucus was immediately mandated to carry out the assignment with other minority leadership, who are also members of the selection committee.

The source said: “At the meeting of the minority caucus, a ranking senator and one who has been around, advised us that we should make a bloc demand for chairmanship of committees, instead of going about lobbying as individuals, which may not achieve anything and it was accepted by all of us and the minority leader and his team were then mandated to carry it out.”

At the moment, ruling APC has 59 senators; the PDP 36; Labour Party, LP, eight; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, two; Social Democratic Party, SDP, two; All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and the Young Progressives Party, YPP, one each.
VANGUARD

Politics

Defection: Peter Obi Simply Looking For ‘Food Is Ready’ Party – Wike

Published

43 minutes ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe on former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent defection.

Speaking during a media parley on Wednesday, Wike said Obi is looking for a ‘food is ready’ political party.

The minister said, “Obi was in APGA, he couldn’t build APGA. He went to Labour, he ran away again from Labour. All he’s looking for is food is ready political party.”

Recall that Obi and Rabi’u Kwankwaso, former presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, on Sunday officially joined the NDC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Politics

2027: Nobody Wants Fubara – Wike

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that there is widespread support for Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to return in 2027.

Speaking during his monthly media parley on Wednesday in Abuja, Wike suggested that Fubara can’t claim to enjoy unanimous backing from the public.

He explained that the political crisis in Rivers State had earlier been addressed through the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, particularly during impeachment proceedings initiated against Fubara.

According to Wike, the President advised all parties to embrace peace, leading to the withdrawal of the impeachment move by the State House of Assembly after agreements were reached.

Wike, however, alleged that the governor failed to fully adhere to the terms agreed during the arbitration process.

Reacting to claims that the people were urging Fubara to seek re-election in 2027, Wike rejected the assertion, insisting that such narratives were misleading.

Wike maintained that appearing before the President for arbitration required respect for the outcome, noting that all parties were expected to uphold their commitments.

He said: “The President, intervened in the impeachment proceeding. I said withdraw, let their be peace. And the governor said, look, I’m ready for peace. Look, I’m no longer interested for this. I will not do this. The Assembly went and withdrew the impeachment.

“Having withdrawn the impeachment, he is now too smart on what you agreed before the President. It’s like when you go on arbitration.”

Wike continued, “This one is what I don’t like. Nobody wants anybody. Please, don’t tell me that. Excuse me.

You can go and tell that to the market people or children. Two years that people say he should come out. Who told you that?

“Which politician will say that I was sleeping they came and woke me? Even if people people come to wake you, can’t you say, no, I won’t do it. I’m not prepared for it.

“That you appeared before a President of the country on arbitration, the two parties on arbitration, and these people respected Mr. President, and have done their own part.”

Politics

2027: Wike Opens Up On Preferred Rivers Guber Candidate

Published

2 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday said he hasn’t endorsed any candidate for the Rivers state gubernatorial election in 2027.

Wike stated this on Wednesday during his monthly media parley in Abuja.

Wike said that the endorsement will come only after a meeting by the joint coalition in the state.

He said: “I haven’t endorsed anybody. And I can’t endorse anybody until the joint coalition meets.”

DAILY POST reports that questions have been raised concerning the fate of current governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, in 2027.

The FCT Minister was reported to have endorsed former State Commissioner for Works, Alabo Dakorinama George Kelly, as his preferred candidate for the Rivers State governorship election.

Sources told DAILY POST that Wike settled for George after a closed-door meeting with key political stakeholders in Port Harcourt on Monday.