The Senate has asked the Supreme Court to stop meddling in its affairs because it lacked the powers to stop the National Assembly from performing its legislative duties as far as the process of amending the 1999 Constitution is concerned.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe who was reacting today to an order of the apex Court issued last week, directing the National Assembly to maintain the status quo in its bid to amend the Constitution, said that the Supreme Court was wrong to stop the lawmakers in the performance of their legislative duties.
The Federal Government had instituted a suit challenging the powers of the lawmakers to perform its duties under the Constitution. The decision of President Jonathan to veto the Fourth Alteration bill to the 1999 Constitution, presented to him brought about the suit.
The President had raised a number of issues including the failure of the lawmakers to produce evidence that it secured the mandatory four fifth majority in amending Section 9 of the Constitution.
The lawmakers had planned to override the President’s veto after a review by the Constitution amendment Committees of the two chambers..
Senator Abaribe, in a chat with newsmen said, “The Supreme Court is wrong. The law does not allow one arm of the government to stop another arm of government from performing its duties.
“The Supreme Court cannot stop us from legislating and if they say that the Supreme Court is stopping us from making laws, it is misleading and it amounts to misreading the powers of the Supreme Court.” [myad]
