Reps backs senate over sack of CCT chairman

The House of Representatives, has concurred with the Senate over the removal of the Chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar.

The chairman was removed over misconduct and breach of public trust.

The decision was made following the invocation of Paragraph 17(3), Part 1, Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and Section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap C15 LFN 2004.

The Leader of the House, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, who moved the motion, explained that the provisions require the President to act on an address supported by a two-thirds majority of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to remove the CCT chairman for misconduct.

In removing Umar, the lawmakers highlighted his involvement in a public altercation with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex in Abuja, an incident that drew national attention.

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions had invited Umar to explain his actions, but while he admitted to being involved in the brawl during his first appearance, refused to attend subsequent hearings, hindering the investigation.

The House expressed disappointment in Umar’s conduct, emphasising that the chairman of a statutory institution like the CCT is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, probity, and accountability. Instead, they argued, his actions have fallen far below the ethical standards required of a public officer.

“The official conduct of Umar has fallen short of the requisite standard of a public officer to conduct the affairs of such a tribunal,” the lawmakers stated.