No Rift Between Speaker Abbas, Deputy Kalu

The House of Representatives has said the dissolution of the Joint Ad hoc Committee on Midstream and Downstream Petroleum was by Nigeria’s 1999 constitution and the House’s standing rules.

This was even as the Green Chamber debunked the insinuations in some quarters that Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and his deputy, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, were in a face-off and that some members bribed their way to get juicy Committee placements in the House.

A statement signed on Wednesday by the House Spokesperson, Hon. Akin Rotimi, said the leadership’s action was to ensure the investigation’s efficacy, independence, and effectiveness.

He stressed that the House has its internal working mechanisms, “which are enabled by Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that, ‘Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Senate or the House of Representatives shall have the power to regulate its procedure, including the procedure for summoning and recess of the House.”

The Spokesperson contended that “the leadership of the House reserves the right to disband/dissolve an ad hoc committee whenever the need arises.

“That the action taken by the House to dissolve the Ad Hoc Committee on Oil and Gas Investigation did not contravene any rule of the House or any law of the land.

“That never did the House leadership or anybody receive inducement for appointing any committee chairman. It was an assignment diligently executed by the Selection Committee of the House between June and July 2023, which has a member from each of the states of the federation;

“That there is no rift between the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker regarding this or any matter; the duo enjoys a robust and cordial relationship. The two Presiding Officers also have mutual respect and will not allow anything to come between them.

“The public should, therefore, disregard the speculations making the rounds in some sections of the media”.

The House, therefore, implored journalists to verify their facts and crosscheck with the appropriate quarters before going to press “with information that is nothing but falsehoods dished out as stories”.

While reiterating the cordial relationship between the two Presiding Officers and peace among members, the Green Chamber stressed that it operates an open-door policy and remains open to the Nigerian public and the media regarding its activities.