Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, has announced a minor reshuffle of the committee leadership positions in the green chamber.
Gatekeepers News reports that during Wednesday’s plenary, the speaker reassigned Mike Etaba, who represents Obubra/Etung federal constituency of Cross River, from the Committee on Public Petitions to head the Committee on Environment.
In his place, Bitrus Laori, a lawmaker from Adamawa and former chair of the Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa, was appointed to lead the Public Petitions Committee.
Billy Osawaru, a lawmaker from Edo, deputy chairperson of the committee on poverty alleviation, has been appointed to oversee the committee on cooperation and integration in Africa.
Etaba’s reassignment comes just days after the Public Petitions Committee, under his leadership, summoned Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal over political unrest in their respective state assemblies.
The committee also invited the speakers and leadership of both state legislatures following a petition by a civil society group, the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law.
The panel asked the governors to justify why the House of Representatives should not assume legislative functions in their states, with a hearing scheduled for May 8.
The Governors, however, rejected the summons, arguing that the federal legislature lacks the constitutional authority to summon sitting governors.
