The House of Representatives in Nigeria has removed Danladi Umar as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over allegations of misconduct and corruption.
The decision was made during Tuesday’s plenary session, where the lawmakers invoked Paragraph 17(3), Part 1, Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), along with Section 22(3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap C15 LFN 2004.
This constitutional provision states:
“A person holding the office of Chairman or member of the Code of Conduct Tribunal shall not be removed from his office or appointment by the President except upon an address supported by two-thirds majority of each House of the National Assembly praying that he be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office in question (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body) or for misconduct or for contravention of this Code.”
The motion for Umar’s removal required the support of at least 240 of the 360 House members to meet the two-thirds threshold. However, observers noted that fewer than 150 lawmakers were present in the chamber when the motion was moved.
The move by the House follows the Senate’s earlier decision to approve Umar’s removal.
