Reps Concur With Senate Over Removal Of CCT Chairman Umar

The House of Representatives has concurred with the Senate’s resolution removing Danladi Umar, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), from office over alleged misconduct.

Therefore, it resolved that paragraph 17 (3), PT 1, Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 22

(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap C15LFN 2004

be invoked and activated by forwarding an address supported by a two-thirds majority of the Senate and House, which the President shall act upon to remove Umar as CCT Chairman of the Code for misconduct.

This followed the adoption of a motion moved by the House Leader, Hon Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo), at plenary on Tuesday.

Moving the motion, Ihonvbere said the CCT is one of the critical components of Federal Institutions in the country, saddled with the statutory responsibilities of maintaining high standards of morality in the conduct of government business and ensuring the actions and behaviours of public officers conform with the highest standards of public morality and accountability.

He noted that a Statutory Institution of such magnitude is expected to be an epitome of moral rectitude and virtues of integrity, probity, and accountability. However, the official conduct of Umar, chairman of the tribunal, has fallen short of the requisite standard of a public officer to conduct the affairs of

such a tribunal.

“Aware of the conduct of the Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal, who recently engaged in a public brawl with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex, which necessitated an invitation from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, and after his first appearance, where he admitted to having been involved in the brawl, he refused to attend subsequent sittings, thereby frustrating the efforts of the Committee to investigate the allegations against him.

“Also recalls that by the provisions of section paragraph 17 (3), PT 1, Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap C15 LFN 2004, Mr. The President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces is mandated to act on an address supported by a two-thirds majority of the Senate and House of Representatives and pray that the Chairman be removed for misconduct.

“Affirms that the invocation of the aforementioned constitutional provision in this circumstance seems to be the only way out to safeguard the sacred image of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, in line with the resolution of the 10th National Assembly to uphold the rule of law and sustain the ideals of corporate governance structure in Nigeria,” Ihonvbere argued.