From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Senate, yesterday, approved the sack of Umar Danladi as chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal ( CCT) for alleged misconduct.
The Senate, which took the resolution, after it emerged from an executive session, directed the clerk to forward an address to President Bola Tinubu, notifying him of its resolution.
Immediately after the Senate emerged from its executive session, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, moved a motion calling for the invocation of provisions of Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for the removal of the CCT chairman.
Bamidele noted that the Senate has been inundated with petitions of allegations of misconduct against Danladi. He explained that while the 9th Senate mandated its Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions, to investigate the allegations, the CCT chairman only appeared before the panel once and shunned subsequent investigative hearings into the allegations.
The Senate leader said “petitions were written to the Senate regarding the conduct of the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, including his personal involvement in a public brawl, resulting in the assault of a young Nigeria trader at the Banex Plax in Abuja.
“It is also on record that the 9th Senate referred petitions in this regard to its committee on Ethics and Public Petitions in respect of which he was invited. After his first appearance, it is on record that Danladi refused to attend subsequent sittings, thereby frustrating the attempt of the committee to investigate the allegations.”
Danladi had allegedly been involved in a brawl with security personnel at the Banex Plaza, located in Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Consequently, Bamidele urged the Senate to activate Section 157 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), for the president to remove Danladi as chairman of CCT for alleged misconduct.
According to him, that is the only way to safeguard the image of the CCT, in line with the resolve of the 10th Senate to uphold the rule of law and sustain the ideal of corporate governance structure in the country.
The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, while speaking after the motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Abba Moro, said the motion has the support of 84 members of the Senate.
Barau said: “This matter has been thoroughly discussed in the executive session and there was unanimous support for this motion. And no one did not support this motion. 84 of us agreed to support this motion.”
Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, in his contribution, explained that while 84 members were in support of the motion, 74 senators signed, as the principal officers were not expected to sign.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, after the motion was unanimously adopted, said: “Danladi Umar is hereby removed in line with Section 157 (1) as the chairman of CCT. The clerk of the Senate is directed to forward an address of this resolution, which is above 2/3 to the president for further necessary action.”
Earlier, Akpabio had said it was obvious that ample opportunity was given to Danladi to defend himself.
According to him, “even fighting at the Banex is unbecoming of someone who is supposed to watch over the conduct of public officers.”