Reps deny Speaker, Deputy rift over committee dissolution

House of Representatives has faulted insinuations in some quarters that there is a rift between the Speaker, Tajudeen Abass, and his Deputy, Benjamin Kalu, over the dissolution of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Oil and Gas.
 
Spokesman for the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, in a statement, yesterday, explained that the duo enjoyed robust and cordial relationship. 
 
Rotimi said: “The public should, therefore, disregard speculations making the rounds in some sections of the media.”

He contended that the leadership of the House reserved the right to disband/dissolve an ad hoc committee whenever the need arises.
 
He added that the action taken by the House to dissolve the committee on Oil and Gas Investigation did not contravene any rule of the House or any law of the land. He also denied any inducement, saying: “At no time did the House leadership or anybody for that matter receive inducement for the appointment of 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.”

SIMILARLY, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State and House Committee Chairman on Downstream Petroleum, Ikenga Ugochinyere, has debunked allegations that he gave $1.7 million to the House leadership to secure the committee’s chairmanship position.
 

Passing a vote of confidence on the decision of the House leadership to dissolve the joint committee investigating challenges in the oil sector, Ugochinyere said he trusted the Speaker’s decision, as he knows best, adding that if setting up an ad hoc committee to carry out the investigation is better, then he agrees with him.

Ugochinyere said: “The allegation is a belated nonsensical, childish and unprofessional fiction aimed at creating division in the House to aid some criminal elements, who are long overdue for prison to think they can escape justice, which is impossible as the demand for transparency and reform is a task that must be done.”