A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, on Thursday remanded the former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr. Danladi Umar, in Kuje prison.
Justice Peter Kekemeke gave the remand order after the Federal Government arraigned the erstwhile CCT boss on a four-count corruption charge.
According to the federal government, its investigations revealed that the defendant abused his official position by conferring an undue advantage on himself while he served as head of the tribunal.
It was alleged that in 2021 he used his wife’s bank account to collect the sum of N5.5 million from a contractor engaged to paint the headquarters of the CCT in Abuja.
The federal government further alleged that on January 25, 2024, the defendant also used his wife’s account to collect N6 million from a contractor who handled the digitisation of the CCT’s records.
Also, the defendant was accused of directing another contractor to pay N2.43 million for the tuition fee of his daughter at Baze University, Abuja.
He was said to have committed offences punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Meanwhile, following his plea of not guilty to the allegations, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Christopher Mshelia, applied for his remand in a correctional facility, even as he urged the court to set a date for the commencement of trial.
However, the defendant, through his legal team, urged the court to release him on bail pending the determination of the case.
While opposing the request, the anti-graft agency drew the court’s attention to the fact that it had just been served with the bail application, saying it needed time to respond to it.
In view of this development, Justice Kekemeke adjourned the case until July 15 to hear the defendant’s application for bail.
It will be recalled that the defendant, while in office as CCT Chairman, on January 23, 2019, issued a controversial ex parte order that led to the removal of a serving Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen. Nigeriatravel guide
Following the ex parte order, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, on January 25, swore in the next most senior jurist of the Supreme Court, Justice Tanko Muhammad, to take over the leadership of the judiciary as Acting CJN.
Though Onnoghen later voluntarily resigned his position as CJN on April 4, Umar went ahead and convicted him on April 18, 2019, on the federal government’s allegation that he had failed to properly declare his assets as required by law.
He gave the federal government the go-ahead to confiscate all monies in five accounts belonging to the former CJN, and also removed him as Chairman of both the NJC and the Federal Judiciary Service Commission (FJSC).
Meanwhile, in 2024, the Senate sacked Umar, over alleged gross misconduct.
The decision was made under Section 157(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended), which empowers the Senate to remove key public officials following due process.
Danladi Umar’s final fall followed a closed-door session lasting over one and a half hours.
On resumption of plenary, the Senate announced that more than 84 lawmakers supported the decision.
The motion leading to his removal was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who highlighted the pivotal role of the CCT in maintaining high standards of morality and accountability in government.
Bamidele stated, “The Code of Conduct Tribunal, as a statutory institution, is expected to uphold virtues of integrity, probity, and accountability”, adding that a statutory institution of such magnitude is expected to be an epitome of moral rectitude and “should be seen to uphold the virtues of integrity, probity and accountability.
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According to him however, ‘the conduct of Mr Yakubu Panladi Umar, who is the Chairman of the Tribunal, has fallen short of the requisite standard of a public officer to conduct the affairs of such Tribunal.”
Senator Bamidele further pointed out that “The Senate has been inundated with series of petitions and allegations of corruption/misconduct against the Chairman, a situation that necessitated the 9th Senate, through the Senate Committee on Ethics Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to invite him to series of its investigative hearings in order to unravel the circumstances surrounding those allegations.
Umar was said to have appeared before the Committee only once and thereafter avoided subsequent invitations.
“Also concerned about his alleged absenteeism from office for more than one month, without permission and recuse to his position, coupled with preponderance of corruption allegation, misappropriation, and physical street brawl with a security man in the FCT vis-à-vis his current investigation by the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS.
“All these are tantamount to acts of negligence and gross misconduct, unbecoming of a Chairman of such a reputable Tribunal; “Aware of the series of overwhelming allegations against the Chairman, Mr President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, forwarded the name of Mr Abdullahi Usman Bello to the Senate for confirmation as the new Chairman of the Tribunal, and at the Plenary Sitting of the Senate on Thursday, 4th July 2024, his appointment was duly confirmed, hence the need for the erstwhile Chairman to vacate the office for the substantive Chairman to officially resume office, ” Bamidele concluded
