A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ruled that the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar should appear before the Senate in a probe on allegations of misconduct brought against him.
Umar had filed the suit to challenge the powers of the Senate to investigate the alleged assault and misconduct petition brought against him by a security guard.
The alleged incident happened at the Banex Plaza in Abuja on March 29, 2021.
Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed Umar’s suit on the grounds that it lacked merit.
The judge held that Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 constitution under which the CCT boss sought to be protected by the court did not confer any protection or refuge on him.
Ekwo said that as a public officer administering law relating to conduct of public officers, Umar had no reason to institute the suit to stop the senate from probing a public petition seeking justice.
He also held that the Code of Conduct Bureau and Code of Conduct Tribunal Act 2010 were established by the Act of the National Assembly and as such, Umar was subject to investigation by the National Assembly.
“As such, it will be illogical for him (Umar) to seek to stop the senate probe as doing so will give an impression that he is above the law,” he said.
On May 4, 2021, Umar appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition over the petition by the guard named Clement Sagwak.
Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang, laid the petition before the Senate on April 29, 2021.
