The Presidency on Monday said the Senate acted within its constitutional right with its decision to screen former Governor Rotimi Amaechi last week Tuesday, despite the fact that the report of a petition against him had yet to be considered.
The Peoples Democratic Party senators had last week protested the decision of the upper chamber to proceed with Amaechi’s screening without first considering the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which allegedly advised against the exercise.
The leader of the opposition in the red chamber, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had said that his colleagues would not participate in the screening until the report of the panel on the allegation of fraud against the ministerial nominee was deliberated upon.
But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, told journalists in Abuja on Monday that the Senate reserved every right to adopt any procedure to carry out its legislative business.
Enang said, “They (senators) are within their constitutional right to regulate their own proceedings. The constitution authorises the Senate and the House of Representatives and every legislative House to regulate its own proceedings, including managing matters that are brought before them.
“Therefore, what the Senate did was domestic to the Senate and I am not in a position to speak about it, but they are within their constitutional right. What they did was domestic and internal and it was within their powers. So, I am not in a position to speak one way or the other about it.”
Enang commended the senators and the nominees so far screened for the maturity they displayed in handling the exercise, which according to him, was very peaceful, contrary to insinuations that it would be rancorous.
He said, “They have shown in the handling of the matter on the floor of the Senate, their personal interaction, the reception of the senators in the course of the consultation even outside the floor of the Senate.
“They have shown the candour and the real characteristic nature of a matured Senate. I want to thank them in words that I cannot describe, in words that I cannot really utter.
“We are very grateful to them and we are confident that the few that are remaining we will be able in not distant future, to conclude it and then get done with it.
“I want to really appreciate them because Nigerians thought that the process will be very tumultuous, the process will be very rancorous.
“Some people thought that the questions to the nominees will be very personal and attacking but the senators, in the course of their questions, showed their intellect, their candour, their appreciation of national issues.
“They addressed the issues that relate to governance and international perspective to the quality of candidates.
“I also want to appreciate the candidates who have appeared so far for the matured way they answered all the questions put to them. I think they are what Nigerians are waiting for and a good team of Mr. President.”
Meanwhile, the Senate will on Tuesday (today) resume the screening of the remaining 11 ministerial nominees forwarded to it by Buhari penultimate Monday.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, told our correspondent on Monday that the All Progressives Congress members in Sokoto State had filed a petition against the nomination of Ms. Aisha Abubakar.
He also said that another petition had been filed against the Cross River State nominee, Mr. Usani Uguru, but that none of the two fresh petitions had been formally laid before the Senate.

www.punchng.com/2015/10/1372