The Senate has removed Chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar from office.
Gatekeepers News reports that this came after a two-thirds majority of Senators were required to validate the resolution of the legislative Chamber.
The motion that led to Umar’s removal was sponsored by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele. He highlighted the pivotal role of CCT in maintaining high standards of morality and accountability in government.
Bamidele said, “The Code of Conduct Tribunal, as a statutory institution, is expected to uphold virtues of integrity, probity, and accountability.”
“However, the conduct of Mr Yakubu Panladi Umar, who is the Chairman of the Tribunal, has fallen short of the requisite standard of a public officer to conduct the affairs of such Tribunal.”
“The Senate has been inundated with a series of petitions and allegations of corruption/misconduct against the Chairman, a situation that necessitated the 9th Senate, through the Senate Committee on Ethics Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to invite him to a series of its investigative hearings in order to unravel the circumstances surrounding those allegations.”
“However, he appeared before the Committee only once an thereafter avoided subsequent invitations.”
The Senate leader added that the assembly was concerned “about his alleged absenteeism from office far more than one month, without permission and recuse to his position, coupled with preponderance of corruption allegation, misappropriation, and physical street brawl with a security man in the FCT vis-à-vis his current investigation by the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS All these are tantamount to acts of negligence and gross misconduct, unbecoming of a Chairman of such reputable Tribunal.”
Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio put the motion to vote after a presentation and debate by some senators. 74 Senators voted for the removal of Danladi Umar, while 10 kicked against it.
The house concluded that the Chairman should be removed. Akpabio told the senate Clerk to communicate the resolution to the presidency by the law.
