The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, concurred with the Senate in removing the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, citing misconduct and a breach of public trust.
The decision to remove Umar followed 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. Last week, the Senate also invoked the relevant sections of the Constitution to remove Umar from office on the same charges.
Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, the Leader of the House, moved the motion and explained that the Constitution requires 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.
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The House highlighted Umar’s involvement in a public altercation with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex in Abuja. The incident, which drew national attention, led to a Senate investigation.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions had invited Umar to explain his actions. While he admitted to the altercation during his first appearance, he refused to attend subsequent hearings, which hindered the investigation.
The lawmakers expressed their disappointment in Umar’s conduct, noting that the chairman of a statutory institution like the CCT is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, probity, and accountability. Instead, the House argued that his actions had fallen far below the ethical standards required of a public officer.
“The official conduct of Danladi Umar has fallen short of the requisite standard of a public officer to conduct the affairs of such a tribunal,” the lawmakers stated.
