Secretary of State, Appointments

What is the significance of the Illinois Secretary of State certifying the Burris appointment? Does it need to happen or not? Clearly Reid will say it matters in this case, because it's beneficial to his argument for the exclusion of Burris (who, btw, is awesome). And obviously, in normal conditions, the Sec. of State and the Governor are in lockstep, and appointments fly through with ease. But like... who is in charge here? Does the Governor have sole discretion over this appointment, or not? It seems odd that the Secretary of State could actually determine who is or isn't fit to serve in the Senate.