The Nigerian Senate has admitted that there was an error in its earlier resolution asking President Bola Tinubu to sack Umar Danladi as chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal over allegations of corruption and misconduct.
The red chamber of the National Assembly, however, insisted that it did not invalidate its decision to sack the CCT Chairman.
DAILY POST reports that the senate led by the Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, last Wednesday, invoked Section 157 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution as the legal basis for the resolution.
At plenary on Tuesday, the Senate Leader admitted what they described as a mistake.
Bamidele said that section pertains to the removal of specific public officials, not the CCT chairman.
He called on the Senate to rescind the earlier constitutional provision and adopt the correct legal references.
According to him, 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.
He added that 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.
“The Senate erroneously 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. We must correct this for the resolution to take legal effect,” Bamidele told his colleagues.
The Senate unanimously agreed to Bamidele’s motion to correct the error and adjust the resolution accordingly.
Recall that the resolution which has enjoyed concurrence by the House of Representatives, has formally advised President Tinubu to remove Danladi from office.
The allegations against the CCT chairman include corruption and misconduct.