The House of Representatives has moved to strengthen compliance with its internal deadlines after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ordered the dissolution of all ad hoc committees whose mandates had outlived their approved timelines.
The directive, which took effect on August 28, 2026, effectively brought the activities of all affected committees to an end after they failed to complete their assignments and submit their reports within the stipulated period.
The decision was communicated to members in a statement signed by the Clerk of the House, Sidi Ibrahim, who said the committees had been given sufficient time to conclude their respective mandates.
According to the directive, only two of the committees requested additional time, and the House granted them a two-week extension. However, the extension expired without providing grounds for the committees to continue operating.
The development signals a renewed emphasis on time-bound legislative assignments, with the House stressing that ad hoc committees are created for specific purposes and are not designed to operate indefinitely.
The Clerk referenced Order 18, Rule 11, Paragraph 5 of the House Standing Orders, which requires committees to submit their reports within the time allocated for their assignments.
With the deadlines exhausted, the House declared that the continued existence of the committees was no longer tenable and directed them to cease all activities immediately.
Chairmen of the dissolved committees have also been ordered to submit outstanding reports, working documents, records and other materials connected to their assignments to the Clerk’s office for safekeeping.
The move is expected to bring clarity to pending committee assignments while reinforcing the House leadership’s position that legislative investigations and special assignments must operate within approved timelines.
