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By Lizzy Chirkpi
Concerned Professionals in the National Assembly have applauded Senate President Godswill Akpabio for annulling seven contentious appointments made by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), describing the move as lawful, decisive, and consistent with established rules.
The cancelled appointments comprised three senior positions in the House of Representatives and four management roles within the National Assembly bureaucracy. The appointments had triggered protests from staff unions, professional associations, and senior officers, who alleged violations of competence, seniority, and federal character principles.
The controversy follows a letter jointly signed by two commissioners representing the South West Zone, Hon. Afeez Ipesa Balogun and Hon. Olukemi Oluga, who questioned the process used in appointing Clerks and Secretaries of the National Assembly and called for a clear, merit-based review.
Acting in his capacity as Chairman of the NASC, Akpabio reviewed the appointment process and concluded that it failed to meet statutory and procedural requirements. He subsequently ordered the immediate cancellation of all seven appointments and directed that future recruitments and promotions must strictly adhere to merit, seniority, and equitable national representation.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by its leader, Mr. Simon Okechukwu, the group said “Akpabio’s intervention reinforced transparency, fairness, and institutional integrity within the National Assembly.”
The professionals also endorsed the Patrick Giwaled Establishment Committee, inaugurated by Akpabio to audit personnel records, review petitions, and recommend qualified candidates for future appointments and promotions.
They urged the committee chaired by a former Clerk of the House of Representatives and current NASC commissioner, Patrick Giwa “to open its review process to submissions from staff members and relevant interest groups, noting that inclusive engagement would help correct irregularities and rebuild confidence in the system.”
Raising fresh concerns, the group cited allegations of financial inducements by unqualified individuals and highlighted cases where senior officers, particularly in the engineering department, were allegedly bypassed for promotion in breach of rules requiring progression through at least two promotion levels.
Expressing confidence in the committee’s leadership, the professionals described Giwa as a seasoned administrator with a strong reputation for integrity and strict adherence to due process.
They concluded that the cancellation of the disputed appointments, alongside the establishment of the review committee, marks a critical step toward restoring professionalism, accountability, and trust in the management of the National Assembly workforce.