From FRED ITUA, Abuja
In a bid to douse supposedly rising tension between him and ersthile Lead of the Red Chamber, Ali Ndume, Senate President Bukola Saraki has named him as new chairman of the committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The announcement was made at about 2.55pm, on Thursday, few minutes after lawmakers concluded their Day Three debate on the 2017 budget. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki who presided during the day’s legislative business, made the announcement.
There was also a minor reshuffling, while new Senators who were recently sworn-in, clinched committee chairmanship positions.
Senator Magnus Abe from Rivers State, who recently won a keenly-contested rerun election, was named to head a new Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
Another Rivers State Senator, George Sekibo was named as chairman of the Senate committee on Interior. The committee has been without a head since the exit of its former chairman, Senator Olaka Nwogu, also from Rivers State.
Senator Atai Idoko who was sworn-in towards the end of 2016 and represents Kogi East in the Senate, was named to head a new committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Senator Abubakar Kyari, who hitherto, chaired the Senate committee on INEC, was named by Saraki to head Defence committee. Leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, until his appointment, headed the Defence committee.
The last reshuffle of committee headships in the Senate was in October, 2016. Senator Oluremi Tinubu was then named Senate committee chairman on Environment.
Senator, Kabir Marafa, was also named in last October Senate committee chairman on Petroleum (Downstream).
With the announcement of new committee heads, the total number of committee chairmen now stands at 68, from its earlier 66.