Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Wednesday, announced a minor reshuffle in the leadership of the House committees.
The reshuffling saw changes in the leadership of three committees, including the reappointment of members to chair important legislative functions.
In the latest shake-up, Mike Etaba, who represents Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency of Cross River, was reassigned from his previous role as chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions to chair the Committee on Environment.
This change comes just days after the committee on public petitions summoned the governors of Benue and Zamfara, Hyacinth Alia and Dauda Lawal, respectively, over the political crises in their state legislatures.
Bitrus Laori, the lawmaker from Adamawa, has been appointed to lead the Committee on Public Petitions, having previously chaired the Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa.
Meanwhile, Billy Osawaru from Edo State, who had been the deputy chair of the Committee on Poverty Alleviation, was now elevated to head the Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa.
Etaba’s redeployment coincides with the growing controversy surrounding the Committee on Public Petitions, which recently issued a summons to the governors of Benue and Zamfara.
The summons, which also invited the speakers and leadership of the state assemblies, was triggered by a petition filed by the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, a civil society organisation (CSO), accusing the two state assemblies of political instability.
The committee asked the governors and speakers to explain why the House of Representatives should not take over the functions of their respective assemblies.
This move has been met with fierce resistance. Both governors and speakers have rejected the summons, arguing that the federal parliament lacks the authority to summon them due to the immunity granted to state governors.
Civil society organisations have also raised concerns over the legality of the summons. They argue that the committee’s invitation of governors, protected by immunity, over internal state matters constitutes an overreach.
The Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Adebo Ogundoyin, called the summons a “direct challenge” to Nigeria’s federal structure and the autonomy of state legislatures.
Ogundoyin emphasised that the national assembly’s oversight powers are limited to federal matters, as outlined in sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, and that state legislatures should remain independent in handling internal issues unless a clear constitutional or federal matter is involved.