BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

ABUJA—BARELY one week after the Senate had proposed that the President should have the constitutional power to initiate amendment of the constitution, the Red Chambers yesterday made a U-turn and struck out the name of the President from initiating amendment.

The Deputy Senate Presi-dent and Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who had made the controversial proposal that had attracted criticisms from the public, told the Senate that he had withdrawn the section from the ongoing amendment.

Senator Ekweremadu also called for the suspension of the planned voting clause of the constitutional amendment because the number of senators in attendance was below the constitutionally required number of senators in such exercise.

Ekweremadu announced the withdrawal of the name of the President in the process of constitutional amendment as was contained in Section 9 of the constitution, which had initially given President Goodluck Jonathan power to initiate the amendment of a new constitution.

The Senate President, David Mark, agreed with his Deputy that the number of senators who attended the plenary was below the required 73, which is the two-third of the entire figure of 109.