- By Abiola Olawale
The Senate has officially acknowledged what it described as a “mistake” in its previous resolution recommending that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should sack Umar Danladi from his position as chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele made this known during plenary on Tuesday.
Bamidele admitted that the constitutional reference adopted to sack Danladi was not the appropriate law.
He pointed out that during the plenary last week Wednesday, he invoked Section 157 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution as the legal basis for the sack of Danladi.
He explained that the section he quoted then pertains to the removal of specific public officials, not the CCT chairman.
The Majority Leader then moved a motion to rescind the earlier constitutional provision and adopt the correct legal references.
He explained that the appropriate sections to support the resolution were 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 certain public officers.
Bamidele also highlighted the need for concurrence from the House of Representatives to ensure the resolution’s effectiveness.
Following his debate, the Senate reached a unanimous consensus to support Bamidele’s proposal, as they rectified the identified error and amended the resolution with the necessary adjustments.
It would be recalled that last week, 84 Senators, which constitute the two-thirds majority of the Senate, signed in favour of Danladi’s sack, resolving to forward the resolution to President Bola Tinubu for further action.
