SENATE President, David Mark, on Monday, said the decision to confirm Senator Musiliu Obanikoro among the nominees sent by President Goodluck Jonathan was in line with legislative procedures.

Mark, in a statement signed by his special Adviser on media and publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said he was taken aback by the needless controversies being generated by some interested parties on the issue.

“The attention of the office of the Senate President has been drawn to the needless controversies concerning the screening of ministerial nominees on the floor of the Senate, with particular reference to the confirmation of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.

“We will like to state without any form of ambiguity that the President of the Senate complied with all the legislative practices and procedures in the confirmation of all the ministerial nominees that appeared before the Senate.

“It is strange that those who hold contrary views have laid claims to the tradition of the Senate that where three senators are opposed to a nominee, such a nominee are automatically disqualified and cannot be confirmed by the Senate. This is misplaced.

“It is important to state that the Senate found itself in a situation where two of its traditions were in conflict. There exists a tradition of permitting nominees that had served as senators or member of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic to take a bow and go without being questioned.

“The Senate also has a tradition of stopping any nominee that fails to secure approval of at least two-third of the senators.

“Where the Senate was faced with this conflict, the option available to the President of the Senate, as the presiding officer, was to put the question to the floor and rule applicably.

“The President of the Senate, David Mark, did just that. He put the question through voice vote, and ayes won resoundingly and he so ruled,” the statement read.

He said he had not been served any court order neither had he received any injunction restraining him from processing the confirmation of the ministerial nominees.