Reps remove Umar as CCT chairman without two-thirds majority

The House of Representatives has removed Danladi Umar as the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), citing misconduct and inability to effectively discharge his duties.

During Tuesday’s plenary, the house invoked paragraph 17 (3), part 1, fifth schedule of the 1999 constitution (as amended), and section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

This constitutional provision states that the chairman or a member of the tribunal can only be removed by the president upon a resolution supported by two-thirds majority of both chambers of the National Assembly for reasons including misconduct or infirmity.

Controversy over quorum

The house consists of 360 members, with a two-thirds majority equating to 240 members. However, fewer than 150 lawmakers were present when the motion for Umar’s removal was moved.

Julius Ihonvbere, the majority leader of the house, moved the motion, citing Umar’s public misconduct and disregard for oversight processes.

“Umar recently engaged in a public brawl with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex, which necessitated an invitation from the senate committee on ethics, code of conduct, and public petitions, and after his first appearance, where he admitted to having been involved in the brawl, he refused to attend subsequent sittings, thereby frustrating the efforts of the committee to investigate the allegations against him,” Ihonvbere said.

He added that invoking constitutional provisions to remove Umar was necessary to “safeguard the sacred image of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.”

Mansur Soro, a lawmaker from Bauchi, argued that the president should have initiated Umar’s removal process before the house exercised its constitutional powers.

In response, Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker of the house, confirmed that the house had received communication from President Bola Tinubu regarding the matter.

The motion for Umar’s removal was unanimously adopted through a voice vote.

The Senate has also passed a similar motion removing Umar.

Tinubu earlier in July appointed Mainasra Kogo as the new chairman of the CCT to replace Umar, who has been in office since 2011. However, Kogo is yet to assume office.

Umar, who faced public backlash for assaulting a security guard in 2021, is also battling allegations of corruption. His removal marks the end of a controversial tenure at the tribunal.