The Nigerian Senate has removed Yakubu Danladi Umar as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged gross misconduct.
Citing Section 157 (1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) Senators at plenary deemed Umar’s actions as incompatible with the responsibilities of his office.
Umar, 53, was sworn in at the age of 36 as the acting chairman of the CCT and became the substantive chairman of the tribunal on July 11, 2011.
They described his behaviour as unacceptable for such a sensitive position.
The decision to remove Umar was supported by an overwhelming majority, with 74 senators signing the motion and 10 others present, bringing the total to 84 in favour of his ouster.
Deliberations on the matter began during a closed-door session at 1:17am on Wednesday and lasted until 2:36pm.
Following the original Motion to sack Umar, led by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and seconded by Senate Whip Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), the lawmakers deliberated on the matter, titled, “Invocation of the provision of Section 157 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended for the removal of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.”
Bamidele said: “The Senate: Notes that the Code of Conduct Tribunal is one of the key components of Federal Institutions in the country, saddled with the sacred statutory responsibilities of maintaining high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions and behaviours of public officers conform to the highest standards of public morality and accountability;
“Also notes that a statutory institution of such magnitude is expected to be an epitome of moral rectitude and should be seen to uphold the virtues of integrity, probity and accountability. However, the conduct of Mr. Yakubu Danladi 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;
“Concerned that 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 series of its investigative hearings in order to unravel the circumstances surrounding those allegations.
“However, he appeared before the Committee only once and thereafter avoided subsequent invitations;
“Also concerned about his alleged absenteeism from office for 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 a reputable Tribunal;
“Aware of the series of overwhelming allegations against the Chairman, Mr. President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, forwarded the name of Mr. Abdullahi Usman Bello to the Senate for confirmation as the new Chairman of the Tribunal, and at the Plenary Sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 4th July, 2024, his appointment was duly confirmed, hence the need for the erstwhile Chairman to vacate the office for the substantive Chairman to officially resume office.”
The Senate had previously summoned Umar to appear before its Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions during the 9th Assembly. While he appeared once, he failed to honour subsequent invitations.
