SENATE has rectified a procedural error in its earlier resolution to remove the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, from office over alleged misconduct.

  The rectification by the Senate comes as members of the House of Representatives threw their weight behind the decision to relieve Umar of his duties for allegedly indulging in a public brawl with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex, Abuja recently.

  Last week, the Senate invoked Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution in a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, as the basis for Umar’s removal.

  However, it was later discovered that the cited Section related to the Code of Conduct Bureau and other executive agencies, not the CCT, which falls under the judiciary.

  To address the oversight, Bamidele moved a new motion, yesterday, activating Paragraph 17(3), Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution, which concerns the removal of the CCT Chairman.

  The Senate also invoked Section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act CAP C15, LFN 2004, aligning its resolution with the proper constitutional provisions.

  Bamidele said: “The Senate notes a mistake in its earlier resolution adopted at its plenary sitting on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, regarding the removal of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Mr Yakubu Danladi Umar, for misconduct. It has become necessary to adopt this motion to correct the mistake and prevent future confusion.

  “Upon its resolution, the Senate had mistakenly invoked Section 157 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, instead of Paragraph 17, Subsection 3 of Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution as amended. This correction is to ensure the proper constitutional and statutory basis for the resolution.”

  The corrected resolution, dated November 20, 2024, affirms Umar’s removal and calls for concurrence by the House of Representatives, as required by law.

  The House of Representatives, yesterday, okayed the sacking of Umar, following the adoption of a motion sponsored by the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, at a plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
 
The House, while invoking the provision of paragraph 17 (3), Part 1, Fifth Schedule to the Constitution, maintained that Umar fell short of the requisite standard in maintaining high standards of morality expected of a public officer to conduct the affairs of CCT. 

  Underlining the need for the punitive measure, the House leader recalled that Umar, who admitted being involved in the brawl when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petition, refused to attend subsequent sittings, thereby frustrating the efforts of the committee to investigate the allegations levelled against him.

  The House resolved to concur with the resolution of the Senate on the matter, which will be acted upon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.