Crisis Looms As Dogara Moves To Whittle Down Lasun Powers

There are indications of a possible crisis in the House of Representatives when it resumes session on September 29.

This is because the Ad Hoc Committee on Standing Orders raised by the Speaker Yakubu Dogara is set to whittle down the powers of the Deputy Speaker Yassuff Lasun, The Nation reports.
The move to whittle down the powers of the Deputy Speaker is seen by some as part of a larger plan to reduce the influence of the Deputy Speaker in the Eighth House.

According to the report, Lasun’s benefit in the House exceeds his contributions to the Dogara project, hence a move to push him (Lasun) into irrelevance is being masterminded.

In one of its recommendations, the committee proposed that the Speaker (Dogara) should preside over the Committee of Whole, which is responsible for consideration of reports on bills and investigative hearing as provided by the Standing Orders of the 7th Assembly.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Deputy Speaker Yassuff Lasun

 

 

The committee also stated that, Order 25 which provides that “the Deputy Speaker shall be the Chairman of Committee of the Whole House, save when the House goes into the Committee of Supply or Ways and Means,” should be amended.

Order 25 (i) which deals with the duties of the Deputy Speaker, states:

 “In the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker shall perform all the duties and functions of the Speaker.”
25 (II) further states: “The Deputy Speaker then shall be the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House, save when the House goes into the Committee of Supply or Ways and Means.”