THE Senate yesterday said its Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu, was not allowed to preside over the screening of ministerial nominees because he is of the opposition party.
Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume made this known in an interview with reporters at the National Assembly yesterday.
He, however, promised that former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi will be screened.
Ndume said contrary to insinuations, the Senate has seven weeks within which to conclude the screening and confirmation of the 36 ministerial nominees.
Asked why the Senate suspended plenary yesterday because of Senate President Bukola Saraki’s appearance before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Ndume said: “We were thinking that the lower court (CCT) would cancel the sitting but it did not.
“The Senate President had to be at the tribunal by 10.00am. He is the presiding officer. This is an extraordinary time because we are screening ministers that are predominantly of the All Progressives Congress (APC). So, that was why we said this screening should continue with the Senate President presiding.
“This is not a normal day because we are screening APC nominees of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“There are issues surrounding it. We don’t want any other issue out of it again. The presiding officer is the Senate President, who started the screening and we said we would take a day off and continue tomorrow (today).
“If you look at the constitution, it is not a ‘must’. It is just like when the president is off, the vice president does not automatically become the President of Nigeria. He remains the vice president until a letter is transmitted as such. That is what the constitution says.
“We have an issue at hand that the Senate President is handling and that is the screening of ministers.
“We said let us shift it by one day to enable the Senate President to attend the court session. Then, we will continue tomorrow (today).”
The 1999 Constitution (as amended) however states that in the absence of the President of the Senate, the Deputy President of the Senate shall preside
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