Lagos — Ahead of tomorrow's strategy session by senators elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the impasse created by the 2010 budget presentation, Senate President, Senator David Mark, has blamed leadership of the PDP for the face-off between the Senate and the House of Representatives over the venue of the joint session to receive the budget from President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

Also yesterday, the House of Representatives described as unnecessary, the current stand-off between the two chambers of the national Assembly over the budget presentation, describing it as diversion. Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, spoke to THISDAY in his capacity last night.

However, in his November 20, 2009 reply to a letter addressed to him and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole by the former Chairman of the Party's Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, Mark said he was disturbed when party elders kept silent when the House first flouted the provisions of Section 53(2) on January 16, this year, in Minna, Niger State.

The House had walked out of a retooling retreat in Minna for members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review (JCCR) to protest the refusal by the Senate to accede to its request to co-chair the Committee. The Joint Committee, which was then under the Chairmanship of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was consequently stalled.

Mark, for the first time since the Minna saga, officially confirmed that the January 16, 2009 action by the House is at the root of the lingering frosty relationship between both chambers.

The quiet face-off had blown over last Thursday with the refusal by the Senate to attend a scheduled joint session with the House to receive Yar'Adua's 2010 budget address/proposal.

The Senate had announced that it would only sit in joint session with the House in its chamber while the 360-member House had countered, claiming that since the previous sessions had held in its more spacious chamber, it would not be disposed to sit with the Senate in its chamber that could hardly sit its 109 members.

Mark in his letter said the face-off should not be reduced to one over venue of joint sitting, explaining that what was at stake was the letter and spirit of Section 53(2) of the 1999 Constitution.

According to him, "I feel that the matter should not be reduced to or simplified as a dispute between Senate and the House of Representatives on the venue of a joint sitting of the National Assembly.

"For the avoidance of doubt, what is at stake is Section 53(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states inter alia: 'At any joint sitting of the Senate and the House of Representatives: (a) The President of the Senate shall preside and in his absence the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall preside; (b) In the absence of the persons mentioned in paragraph (a) of the subsection, the Deputy President of the Senate shall preside and in his absence the Deputy Speaker shall preside'."

Mark said further, "I am disturbed by the silence of the party 'elders' when members of the House of Representatives openly flouted Section 53(2) of the Constitution which we have all sworn to uphold.

"Your Excellency may recall that members of the House of Representatives openly flouted Section 53(2) at the Joint Constitution Review Committee session held in Minna when they walked out on the Deputy Senate President.

"One would have expected the intervention of Party elders in order to put a stop to the flagrant disregard and abuse of the supremacy of the Constitution.

"Let me state emphatically that I have no "peculiar interest" in the matter but feel strongly that a stand has to be taken to protect the institution of the Legislature for posterity.

"It is my wish and that of the Senate that this budget presentation was done yesterday (November 19). I would like to take the time to remind Your Excellency that last year, the Senate promised to pass the budget before the December recess and we honored that pledge. Despite this patriotic commitment Party 'elders' failed to commend the Senate for abiding by its pledge.

"However, I acknowledge and appreciate that the time you have taken to express your views to me but I reiterate that for us to make meaningful progress as a nation, and establish a firm foundation for our democracy, we must uphold every letter of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the senate has fixed a caucus meeting for tomorrow evening at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, where the current impasse over the 2010 budget would be reviewed and appropriate steps taken.

From Sufuyan Ojeifo, Chucks Okocha and Onwuka Nzeshi in Abuja and Olawale Olaleye in Lagos