As the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole continues to hold the list of new chairmen of the reconstituted committees close to his chest, the rumble in the House continues with some members using all weapons in their arsenal including blackmail to wriggle their ways into chairmanship positions.

This is especially so with those who were chairmen before the dissolution of the committees on July 31st 2008. With the exception of the Appropriation, Finance and the Rules and Business committees of the House, the Speaker announced the dissolution of all 72 standing committees shortly before members left for recess.

Daily Trust gathered reliably that the selection committee of the House is meeting today to take a final decision on the committee issue and the outcome is likely to be made known within the week. Also, investigations revealed that a few members who call the shot have been given the right of first refusal of the chairmanship position of certain committees before allocation is made to other deserving members.

Meanwhile, as anxiety hangs around the assembly, it is gathered that a sizable number of former committee chairmen may not return to their previous committees, or worse still, may not return as chairmen in any of the reconstituted committees.

The politics of committee chairmanship is reputed to be as hot as or even hotter than the electoral process that brought them to the legislature. Members go all out to secure the chairmanship of committees especially the so called "juicy" ones. Former Speaker, Patricia Etteh Olubunmi may have lost her seat to the alleged contract scam, but some observers have maintained that the remote cause of her removal was her failure to spread the chairmanship position of committees wisely.

It was alleged that a key member of the group that ousted Etteh did everything he possibly could to retain the chairmanship of his committee to no avail. From then on, according to sources, the plot to remove her was hatched. The N628 million renovation contract scandals therefore provided the perfect opportunity to act.

But Bankole appears determined to avert the same fate, which is why he has been proactive in his leadership of the lower chamber. How far he could sustain this and hold the House together, only time will tell.

Since he assumed office, there have been attempts to unravel certain alleged scandals of officials of the immediate past government to the admiration of many Nigerians. Huge amounts of money were believed to have been expended on many sectors of the economy with no commensurate output.

But many believe that the business of legislation and especially oversight functions cannot be carried out effectively without the right people in the right committees as chairmen. On the basis of this, the leadership of the House made it clear that it is working to put square pegs in square holes. Even at that, the politicking regarding the committee issue appears to be tense.

For instance, it is an open secret that there was a sort of agreement on committee chairmanship sharing formula between Bankole and those who fronted for his election as Speaker even against the wish of the then leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). At the moment, those members are said to be on his neck to fulfil that promise, thus putting him at a cross roads between his desire to insist on merit and the need to satisfy their interest.

If anything, this is perceived as one of the major reasons for the delay in announcing the impending changes in the leadership of the House committees. It would be recalled that the Minority Leader, Rep. Mohammed Ali Ndume out of frustration, had declared that Bankole was suffering from indecision with regards to the reshuffle.

Up to this moment, lobbying is said to be in full gear. Daily Trust learnt that members have been approaching those believed to have Bankole's listening ears, to prevail upon him to allow them retain their seats or even move them up to perceived better committees. On the other hand, those who were not chairmen before the disbandment are said to be pushing harder to ensure they join the league of committee chairmen.

The lobbyists are also said to have gone beyond the territory of Abuja as some have allegedly gone as far as meeting Bankole's father to sway his son's favour in their direction. Some are also said to barefacedly attempt to bribe anyone they believe has the ears of the Speaker to make them chairmen.

However, a source close to the House leadership said the leadership is resolute in ensuring that more capable legislators are made committee chairmen.

It is gathered that immediately some lawmakers realised that they were not coming back as chairmen, out of desperation, they resorted to blackmail. The first of such was when the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mrs. Farida Waziri paid Bankole a visit on a weekend.

Some members seized the opportunity to allege that the head of the anti-corruption agency was in the National Assembly to quiz the Speaker. On the day of the publication, EFCC issued a statement categorically distancing itself from the story and added that Mrs. Waziri only visited to solicit support for a bill the commission intended to bring to the House.

Again, during their annual recess, the issue of N2.3 billion Peugeot cars purchase became yet another subject of controversy with some members alleging foul play in the exercise. However, the controversy was dead almost on arrival. Sponsors of the accusation (supposedly aggrieved lawmakers) tried to whip up sentiments and make a case out of the transaction but their inability to provide sufficient incriminating evidence meant they had to drop their beat.

The craze for committee chairmanship has been so enormous that members go to any length, no matter how despicable to ensure that they are made chairmen of one committee or the other. Many of them apparently believe that it is only through their position as chairmen that they can bully the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to win some favour.

The widely publicised N55 million bribery scandals involving former Education Minister, Professor Fabian Osuji, former Senate President, Chief Adolphous Wabara and then chairmen of the Education Committees of the two chambers is a pointer to why some legislators fight tooth and nail to be in chairmanship position.

As Bankole reorganises the house and in tandem with his avowed policy of Input-Output and Outcomes, stakeholders are of the opinion that for the House to deliver on its mandate, the Speaker should go the extra mile to select people of proven integrity and unblemished track records.

Many Nigerians are hoping that he utilises available leverage and go beyond party lines and ethnic geography to make the right choices. For that priority must be given to the quality of the individual.

For effective lawmaking, it is incumbent on him to call the bluff of sycophants and those using all manners of subterfuge to secure positions unless he has something to hide. Nigerians are of the belief that this House has given far more superior legislation than any other since the return of democratic rule in 1999.

It is also pertinent to note that the agents of those who have plundered this country and who risk being exposed will fight passionately to ensure they put their stooges in leadership of strategic committees so as to sabotage the efforts of the House in exposing their acts of corruption, inefficiency and other misdemeanours.

But the Speaker will do well if he releases the list of membership and chairmanship of committees without further delay in order face the challenges ahead. The continuous delay in naming the committees means that the functions of the committees are put on hold.

There is no doubt that he cannot satisfy every crying member even if he takes many months ahead studying the situation. No matter how smoothly he wants the change of baton to be, those who feel they have lost out must still grumble. To that effect, it would be better to release the names as soon as House resumes from plenary this tomorrow and get down to the business of lawmaking as declared in a press briefing by a principal member of the House.