‘Why Reps are yet to announce principal officers’

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday, failed to name eight principal officers of the 9th House of Representatives “because of the need for further and wider consultations across parties.”

Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun), who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja shortly after Tuesday’s plenary, said the delay was to make sure that the principal officers, when announced, “would be in line with the ‎House Standing Rules.”

The lawmaker, who spoke on behalf of the House ad hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, however, assured that the names were already with the Speaker and would be announced before Thursday.

“The names were not announced because of the need for further and wider consultation by the Speaker and Deputy Speaker so that the names will be in consonance with the Standing Rules of the House,” Salam said.

Daily Trust reports that the positions of House Leader, Deputy House Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip, and Deputy Minority Whip are yet to be officially announced by Speaker as required by extant laws.

Meanwhile, feelers emerged last week that some names have been penciled down for the various positions, amid kicks and agitations by some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

For the minority positions, Order 8 Rule 7 of the House Standing Rules stipulates that “the minority parties shall nominate a Minority Leader among themselves.”

Already, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, which parades the second largest number of lawmakers in the House, has nominated Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) as the Minority Leader of the 9th House.