Fresh Crisis Brewing In Senate As APC, PDP Share Equal Committees

Following the provisions of the 8th Senate's
standing order, the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), shall not enjoy any
predominance over the opposition party, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Findings revealed that the new Senate Standing
Orders stipulates that 57 Committees shall be
shared equally, and that is already causing
squabbles among some members of the ruling
party, who by the composition of the 8th Senate,
are in the majority in the Red Chamber.
A Senator who spoke on condition of anonymity,
said this is one of the major issues in the new
Senate Standing Orders, “and we are working
hard to ensure it does not subsist on the floor of
the Senate.”
However, further findings revealed that this new
Senate Orders runs contrary to what was
obtainable in the David Mark-led 7th Senate
where the ruling party enjoyed predominant
advantage over other political parties.
While the 7th Senate’s Orders did not stipulate
the distribution of chairmanship positions, the 8th
Senate Standing Orders remove this prerogative
entirely from the ruling party, the APC and makes
it very clear how chairmanship positions must be
shared.
According to the 8th Senate Orders, which is a
subject of controversy, no geopolitical zones shall
have predominance over others. It says in
Chapter two, Orders 2(3) 2(iv), “The appointment
of senators as chairmen and members of the
committees shall be carried out in such a manner
as to reflect the six geopolitical zones of the
country and there shall be no predominance of
the senators from a few geopolitical zones.”
The implication of this strange Order is that APC
shall only enjoy chairmanship advantage in zones
where it dominates. The ruling party dominates
the Southwest, Northwest, Northcentral and a
slim dominance in the Northeast.