Reps remove Umar as CCT chairman without two-thirds majority
The House of Representatives has voted to remove Danladi Umar as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) during Tuesday’s plenary.
The decision was based on 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 section of the Constitution states: “A person serving as Chairman or member of the Code of Conduct Tribunal may only be removed from office or appointment by the President upon an address supported by a two-thirds majority in each House of the National Assembly, requesting such removal due to the individual’s inability to perform the duties of the office (whether due to mental or physical incapacity), misconduct, or violation of the Code.”
READ ALSO: Senate removes CCT Chairman Danladi Umar over alleged misconduct
The House of Representatives has 360 members, and two-thirds of this number is 240.
When newsmen conducted a count, fewer than 150 lawmakers were present in the chamber when the motion for the removal of Umar was moved.
Introducing the motion, Julius Ihonvbere, the Majority Leader of the House, stated that Umar had “fallen short of the necessary standard of a public officer to oversee the affairs of such a tribunal.” He highlighted that Umar had recently been involved in a public altercation with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex, which led to an invitation from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions. Despite admitting to the altercation during his first appearance, Umar refused to attend subsequent hearings, thereby obstructing the committee’s investigation into the allegations against him.
The Majority Leader emphasized that invoking paragraph 17(3), part 1, of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) was the “only way forward to protect the integrity of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.”
Mansur Soro, a lawmaker from Bauchi State, raised a point of order, suggesting that President Bola Tinubu should have initiated Umar’s removal before the House invoked its constitutional powers.
In response, Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House, confirmed that the House had received communication from the President.
As a result, the motion was unanimously adopted when put to a voice vote by Abbas.
The Senate also passed a similar motion for Umar’s removal.
In July, President Tinubu appointed Mainasra Kogo as the new Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to succeed Umar, who had been appointed in 2011. Kogo has yet to assume office.
Umar, who was involved in an assault on a security guard in Abuja in 2021, is also facing corruption charges.
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