The Senate has invoked its power under Section 157(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended), to sack the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, over alleged gross misconduct.
The upper chamber of the National Assembly arrived at the decision at a closed-door session that lasted almost two hours.
When the Senate resumed plenary, its President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, announced that more than 84 senators had voted for Umar’s ouster.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who moved the motion for the CCT’s removal, underscored the crucial role of the Tribunal in maintaining high standards of morality and accountability in government.
“The Code of Conduct Tribunal, as a statutory institution,” Bamidele noted in his motion, “is expected to uphold virtues of integrity, probity, and accountability.
“However, the conduct of Mr. Yakubu Danladi Umar has fallen short of these requisite standards for a public officer entrusted with such responsibilities.
Bamidele described the CCT as an epitome moral rectitude, and maintained that the institution must at all times “be seen to uphold the virtues of integrity, probity and accountability.
“However, the conduct of Mr. Yakubu Panladi Umar, who is the Chairman of the Tribunal, has fallen short of the requisite standard of a public officer to conduct the affairs of such Tribunal.”
“The Senate,” Bamidele added, “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.
“However, he appeared before the Committee only once and thereafter avoided subsequent invitations.”
The Senate, Bamidele further emphasised, became concerned “about his alleged absenteeism from office far 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 vis-à-vis his 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 reputable Tribunal.”
It would be recalled that the selfsame Umar was summoned by the 9th Senate to appear before its Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions. But he appeared only once and snubbed subsequent invitations.
Bamidele also recalled the recent confirmation of Abdullahi Usman Bello as the new Chairman of the CCT.
President Bola Tinubu had forwarded Bello’s nomination to the Senate, and the nominee was confirmed during plenary on July 4, 2024.
Section 157(1) of the Constitution stipulates that “The President may remove the Chairman or any member of the Code of Conduct Bureau, acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate, for inability to discharge the functions of the office or for misconduct.”
The Senate, therefore, added up everything and resolved that it had become expedient to invoke this provision of the above-mentioned section of the constitution to protect the integrity of the Tribunal, promote the rule of law, and ensure it remains a symbol of corporate governance in Nigeria.
This is the first time since 1999 that the Senate will be invoking a section in the Constitution to remove any head of parastatal or agency from office.
