After PRNigeria Report, Senate Admits Error In Resolution To Remove CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar
The Senate has acknowledged an error in its earlier resolution advising President Bola Tinubu to remove Umar Danladi as chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal over allegations of corruption and misconduct.
This decision came after a fact-check by PRNigeria exposed the Nigerian Senate’s attempt to remove Danladi Umar from office as constitutional breach.
However, the upper chamber however, insisted that it does not invalidate their decision to sack the CCT Chairman.
The Nigerian Senate, led by Senator Godwill Akpabio, had last Wednesday attempted to invoke Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution to remove Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Chairman Danladi Umar, citing allegations of corruption and misconduct. However, a PRNigeria fact-check reveals the Senate misapplied the law, as Section 157 pertains to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and not the CCT. The removal of a CCT Chairman is governed by Paragraph 17(3) of the Fifth Schedule, requiring approval by two-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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Additionally, the Senate wrongly linked the appointment of Abdullahi Usman Bello, who was cleared to chair the CCB, not the CCT, revealing a lack of understanding of constitutional distinctions. Allegations against Umar had previously been dismissed by anti-corruption agencies, further undermining the Senate’s resolution.
During plenary on Tuesday, the Senate Leader admitted what they described as a mistake.
He called on the Senate to rescind the earlier constitutional provision and adopt the correct legal references. He explained that the appropriate sections to support the resolution were Section 17 (3) of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 22 (3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 2004.
Under Section 17 (3), the Senate and the House of Representatives must pass an address supported by a two-thirds majority to advise the President on the removal of certain public officers. Bamidele also highlighted the need for concurrence from the House of Representatives to ensure the resolution’s effectiveness.
“The Senate erroneously based its resolution on Section 157 (1), which does not apply to the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The correct provisions are Section 17 (3) of the Constitution and Section 22 (3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 2004. We must correct this for the resolution to take legal effect,” Bamidele told his colleagues.
The Senate unanimously agreed to Bamidele’s motion to correct the error and adjust the resolution accordingly.
The resolution which has enjoyed concurrence by the House of Representatives, has formally advised President Tinubu to remove Danladi from office. The allegations against the CCT chairman include corruption and misconduct.
By PRNigeria
