Olayiwola Matthew
The 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 the Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, invoked Section 157 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution as the legal basis for its resolution. However, that section pertains to the removal of certain public officials and does not apply to the CCT chairman.
During plenary on Tuesday, the Senate Leader admitted the error and called for the adoption of the correct legal references. He explained that the appropriate provisions 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 mistakenly based its resolution on Section 157 (1), which does not apply to the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The correct provisions are Section 17 (3) of the Constitution and Section 22 (3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 2004. It is essential to rectify this error for the resolution to take legal effect,” Bamidele told his colleagues.
The Senate unanimously supported Bamidele’s motion to correct the mistake and amend the resolution accordingly.
With concurrence from the House of Representatives, the resolution has formally advised President Tinubu to remove Danladi from office. The allegations against the CCT chairman include corruption and misconduct.