Abbas Dissolves All Ad Hoc Committees, Orders Immediate Halt to Their Activities.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
September 11, 2026.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has dissolved all ad hoc committees of the 10th House of Representatives, directing them to cease operations with effect from August 28, 2026.
The decision, conveyed in a directive signed by the Clerk of the House, Sidi Ibrahim, affects temporary committees established to undertake specific assignments, including the ad hoc committee chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, which had been examining issues surrounding the inclusion of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The directive was addressed to chairmen and members of the affected committees and followed earlier instructions by the House leadership for the committees to conclude their assignments and submit their reports within the stipulated period.
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According to the Clerk, only two of the ad hoc committees had sought and obtained additional time to complete their assignments. However, the two-week extension granted to them had elapsed before the latest directive was issued.
The House subsequently concluded that the continued existence of the committees was no longer tenable under its Standing Orders.
The House leadership based the decision on provisions of the Standing Orders governing the lifespan and reporting deadlines of committees.
The relevant provisions require committees to submit their reports within the period allocated to them. The leadership consequently maintained that ad hoc committees, being temporary bodies established for specific and time-bound assignments, cannot continue indefinitely after the expiration of their approved mandates.
The directive stated that, having exceeded the period allotted to them, the continued operation of the affected committees could not be sustained without fresh approval.
Consequently, all activities being conducted in the name of the dissolved committees were ordered to stop forthwith.
Gagdi-Led PFIPC Committee Affected
Among the committees affected is the panel chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, which had been investigating matters connected with the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
The development means that the committee can no longer continue its proceedings under the mandate originally granted to it.
The dissolution, however, does not mean that the issues previously assigned to the committees have necessarily disappeared from the legislative agenda. Rather, the House has directed that outstanding reports, working documents and other relevant materials be returned to the Office of the Clerk for safekeeping and official record purposes.
The Clerk’s office will therefore retain the documentary trail generated by the committees during the period of their assignments.
The chairmen of the dissolved committees have been instructed to forward all outstanding reports, working papers, records and other materials relating to their respective assignments to the Office of the Clerk.
The directive is expected to ensure that documents generated during the committees’ activities remain part of the official records of the House.
The move also reinforces the principle that ad hoc committees are created for defined purposes and within specified timelines rather than as permanent investigative structures.
The House has previously warned committees that failed to meet reporting deadlines that they could be discharged of their assignments. In October 2025, for instance, defaulting standing committees were given one week to submit reports on pending bills or risk losing those assignments. The House subsequently discharged several committees from legislative responsibilities after they failed to meet the prescribed deadlines.
The House again reminded committees with outstanding assignments of their reporting obligations in January 2026.
The latest decision, however, is broader in scope because it applies to all ad hoc committees, whose mandates are specifically temporary.
House Leadership Tightens Legislative Oversight
The dissolution comes against the backdrop of efforts by the 10th House under Speaker Abbas to strengthen legislative discipline, improve committee performance and ensure that parliamentary assignments are concluded within approved timelines.
Since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in June 2023, the House has created numerous committees to deal with legislative, investigative and oversight matters. The chamber has also undertaken several committee restructuring exercises as part of efforts to improve the efficiency of its legislative work.
The House’s position is that committee work must operate within established parliamentary procedures, with reports submitted within the period approved by the chamber.
The latest directive therefore sends a clear institutional message: committee mandates are not open-ended, and deadlines approved by the House are expected to be respected.
For the dissolved committees, the immediate consequence is the cessation of all activities carried out under their former mandates.
Any future consideration of the matters previously assigned to them would have to proceed through whatever legislative mechanism the House leadership considers appropriate under its rules and procedures.
For now, however, the affected chairmen and members are expected to hand over their records to the Clerk, bringing the current life of the ad hoc committees to an official close.
The development underscores the increasing emphasis within the House on institutional discipline, procedural compliance and timely completion of legislative assignments.
Rather than allowing temporary committees to operate indefinitely, the Speaker’s latest directive seeks to ensure that the House’s investigative and oversight mechanisms remain anchored to clearly defined mandates and deadlines.
DemocracyNewslineNewspaper, September 12 2026
