Members of the House of Representatives have thrown their weight behind the decision to relieve Mr Yakubu Danladi Umar of his duties as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for allegedly indulging in a public brawl with a security guard at the Banex Plaza Shopping Complex, Abuja, recently.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Tuesday at the plenary presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abass.
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 the high standards of morality expected of a public officer to conduct the affairs of the CCT.
Underlining the need for the punitive measure, the House leader recalled that Umar, who admitted having been involved in the brawl when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, refused to attend subsequent sittings, thereby frustrating the efforts of the Committee to investigate the allegations levelled against him.
Ihonvbere contended that it behoves the House to endorse Umar’s removal over the alleged misconduct since there is a need to uphold the rule of law and to safeguard the sacred image of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, in line with the governance structure in Nigeria.
The House thereby resolved to concur with the resolution of the Senate on the matter, which shall be acted upon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the removal of Umar as the CCT Chairman for the alleged misconduct.