November 20, 2024
By Idris Buba
Invoking the provisions of Section 157 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, and for what it described as unacceptable acts of misconduct, the Nigeria Senate on Wednesday sacked the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Yakubu Danladi Umar.
The upper legislative chamber, said it became imperative to remove Umar from that sensitive position because his actions were unbecoming of a holder of such an office.
Umar’s sack as Chairman of CCT was sequel to two third of Senators as 74 members signed, 10 senators present, totally 84 Senators.
The Senate had at during Wednesday plenary gone into a closed door session on the matter, after which the Senate Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, APC, Borno North moved that the action can be carried out in line with Section 157 (1) of the Constitution.
The motion to sack Umar as CCT Chairman was moved in the Order Paper by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central, It was titled, “Invocation of the provision of Section 157 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended for the removal of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.”
According to Bamidele, ‘The Senate: Notes that the Code of Conduct Tribunal is one of the key components of Federal Institutions in the country, saddled with the sacred statutory responsibilities of maintaining high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions and behaviours of public officers conform to the highest standards of public morality and accountability;
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“Concerned that the Senate has been inundated with series of petitions and allegations of corruption/misconduct against the Chairman, a situation that necessitated the 9th Senate, through the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to invite him to series of its investigative hearings in order to unravel the circumstances surrounding those allegations.
“Also concerned about his alleged absenteeism from office for more than one month, without permission and recuse to his position, coupled with preponderance of corruption allegation, misappropriation, and physical street brawl with a security man in the FCT as well as current investigation by the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS. All these are tantamount to acts of negligence and gross misconduct, unbecoming of a Chairman of such a reputable Tribunal;
Following his “Awareness of the series of overwhelming allegations against the Chairman, Mr. President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, forwarded the name of Mr. Abdullahi Usman Bello to the Senate for confirmation as the new Chairman of the Tribunal, and at the Plenary Sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 4th July, 2024, his appointment was duly confirmed, hence the need for the erstwhile Chairman to vacate the office for the substantive Chairman
