The Leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, on Tuesday led some of his colleagues to a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Others who attended the meeting which lasted about an hour with Ndume were Dino Melaye and Senator Monsurat Sumonu among others.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Ndume claimed that the travails of the embattled President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, was not discussed at the meeting.
He said although people are free to read meaning into their visit, Saraki who is being prosecuted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets is presumed innocent until declared guilty by the CCT.
“It is not new for people to read meaning into things. Are you saying that the Senate President should be convicted before the trial? In our constitution, you are considered innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Ndume said the Senators used the opportunity of the meeting to discuss pressing issues such as the 2016 budget and pending bills with the Vice President.
He also expressed delight that President Muhammadu Buhari transmitted power to Osinbajo before embarking on his short vacation.
He observed that the development is in sharp contrast with the attitude of the previous government.
Ndume said, “This government is our government. I am the Senate Leader in this government, so my coming here today is not supposed to be a new thing. My coming here should even be more regular.
“This is not the first time we are coming here. But this is the first time we are having the Vice President as acting President. That is one of the reasons why we are here.
“This is because we are setting a new example. During the previous government, the President will just go and leave the place blank.
“But this time around when our President goes for a few days, he transmitted to all Nigerians that the Vice President is to act as the President. So we came for the regular consultation. There is nothing new about it and we will be doing more of this.
“You should expect me to be coming here. Now we have the budget as work in progress; we have the new Money Laundering Bill before the Senate, we have many things we are looking at. We have come to consult on these.”