The Senate, on Wednesday, deferred voting on the clauses of the 1999 Constitution slated for amendment.
Despite the fact that Senate President, David Mark, had announced last Wednesday, to senators that they should be ready to vote on the constitution amendment items this week.
But the senators could not go ahead with the planned voting when it was discovered that the number of lawmakers in attendance was only slightly above the required two thirds.
Also on Wednesday, chairman of Senate Committee on Constitution review, Ike Ekweremadu, also announced the suspension of the additional amendment to Section Nine of the Constitution, seeking to empower the president to propose amendments to the constitution.
The clause was introduced last week, with some senators expressing the view that the plot would legitimize the national conference.
Mark, who presided over the sitting, said voting was suspended because the senators in attendance were slightly above 73, which is the two thirds of 109.
He stated that constitution amendment exercise was a serious matter which every senator was supposed to participate in.
The Senate president, therefore, urged his colleagues to ensure they attend the next sitting, adding that they needed to participate in the “all important process of constitution amendment”
Senator Ekweremadu also told the Senate that his committee had further deliberated extensively on the planned amendment of Section Nine.
He stated that while the Senate was looking forward to the inauguration of a conference committee, the House of Representatives, which is also looking at the amendment procedure, received six new requests which, he said, had serious implications for the electoral process.
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