After over two hour closed door session, the Senate yesterday halted moves to override President Goodluck Jonathan’s vetoof the Fourth Alteration to the 1999 Constitution.
The action of the Upper Chamber may have finally nailed the coffin of the controversial review of the 1999 Constitution.
Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba told reporters after plenary that the Senate would challenge the ex parte order of the Supreme Court on the issue.
As it did on Tuesday, the Senate also listed the first reading of the Bill to alter the constitution as its first business for yesterday.
It listed the Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Ike EKweremadu, and 46 others as sponsors.
But, the Senate met at a closed session where it resolved to abort further alteration of the constitution.
Indication that the Senate would not make good its threat to override the President’s veto emerged on Tuesday when it suddenly stood down the Bill, which was already listed on the order paper for the day.
Ekweremadu, who presided over the Tuesday plenary, had hinted that the stood down became necessary due to the scanty number of lawmakers in chamber.
The Nation gathered that the leadership of the upper chamber had been put under intense pressure to rescind its decision.
It was learnt that the closed session was held to allow the leadership of the Senate to seek appropriate legal advice on the likely implications of its proposed action.
Ndoma-Egba said the session was meant to give the Senate Committee on Constitution Review to brief the Senate of the circumstances surrounding the amendment of the constitution.
Senate President David Mark said after the closed session that the Senate resolved to backpedal on the plot to override the president’s veto.
Mark said: “We have finished all our discussions and I think it is better for me because of the importance of the issue to make a very simple straightforward unambiguous statement.
“We are lawmakers and we will not be law breakers. We are not just lawmakers, but we are very senior responsible citizens and very senior lawmakers. This is the apex of lawmaking in this country.
“Therefore, on the issue of the current constitutional review that is before the Supreme Court, we want to assure Nigerians that we will not break any law in this country.
“We will take appropriate action that will ensure democracy survives. But I would also like to warn that we should also not be taken for granted by the Executive. Once more, let me assure Nigerians that as lawmakers, we will not be law breakers.”
The Senate, however, vowed to challenge the order of the Supreme Court “as soon as possible.”
Explaining the rationale for the Executive session, Ndoma-Egba said: “Senate commenced today’s proceedings with an Executive Session. We had to defer the constitution amendment yesterday and today for one simple reason.
”At the level of the Committee on Constitutional Amendment, we had reviewed the developments concerning the amendment, but we did not have the opportunity of briefing Senate in plenary.
“That opportunity we had this morning of briefing the Senate in plenary about the developments and circumstances surrounding the Bill so that the Senate will be in the full picture. That is what we did today in the Executive Session.”
On the circumstances surrounding the constitution amendment process, he said: “We received a letter from Mr. President and the committee met to discuss that letter and agreed to make certain recommendations to Senate in plenary.
“Before we could do that, we had the court order, which again is another development. We had to thoroughly review those developments at the closed-session today to agree on a way forward.”
When asked what on the way forward, the Senate Leader said the upper chamber would mount a legal challenge to vacate the ex parte order of the Supreme Court.