The Nigerian Senate has acknowledged an error in its earlier resolution advising President Bola Tinubu to remove Umar Danladi as chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over allegations of corruption and misconduct.
However, the upper chamber maintained that this mistake does not invalidate their decision to call for Danladi’s removal.
Last Wednesday, the Senate, led by Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, used Section 157 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution as the legal basis for its resolution. However, that clause only applies to the removal of specific public officers and not the CCT chairman.
During plenary on Tuesday, the Senate Leader acknowledged the blunder and urged the use of the correct legal references. He stated that the relevant statutes are Section 17(3) of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 2004.
Under Section 17 (3), the Senate and the House of Representatives must pass an address supported by a two-thirds majority to advise the President on the removal of specific public officers. Bamidele also noted that concurrence from the House of Representatives is required for the resolution to be legally effective.
“The Senate’s resolution was based on Section 157 (1), which does not apply to the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.” The right provisions are Section 17(3) of the Constitution and Section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act of 2004. “It is critical to correct this error so that the resolution can take legal effect,” Bamidele informed his colleagues.
The Senate overwhelmingly agreed to Bamidele’s request to fix the error and alter the resolution accordingly.
The resolution, passed by the House of Representatives, formally advises President Tinubu to remove Danladi from office. The allegations against the CCT chairman include corruption and wrongdoing.
