JUST-IN: Reps Approve Senate Decision to Sack Danladi Umar as CCT Chairman

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in removing Danladi Umar from his position as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for misconduct and breach of public trust. This 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.

This move follows the Senate’s similar action last week, which also cited violations of public trust. The Leader of the House, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, who presented the motion, explained that the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of both chambers of the National Assembly to remove the CCT Chairman for misconduct.

The decision to remove Umar stemmed from his involvement in a highly publicized altercation with a security guard at Banex Plaza in Abuja. The incident attracted widespread attention, and although Umar admitted to his involvement in the altercation during his first appearance before the Senate Committee on Ethics, he later refused to attend subsequent hearings, hindering the investigation.

The House of Representatives expressed disappointment in Umar’s conduct, emphasizing that as the head of a statutory institution like the CCT, he was expected to maintain the highest standards of integrity and accountability. Instead, his actions were deemed to fall far short of the ethical standards required of a public officer.

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