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Adebayo Defends National Assembly’s Power to Remove CCT Chairman
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has addressed the controversy surrounding the National Assembly’s removal of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chairman.
Speaking on the matter, Adebayo argued that the legislature acted within its authority and emphasized the importance of integrity in public institutions saying that they have the power to remove the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Atmed Forces
The Nigerian Senate last Wednesday, invoked Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to remove the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, from office.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti), during plenary.
The motion titled “Invocation of Provision of Section 157(1) of the Constitution for Removal of the Chairman of the CCT” was unanimously supported by the Senate.
Senator Bamidele, while presenting the motion, emphasized the sacred role of the CCT in maintaining high moral standards in government business and ensuring public officials adhere to principles of accountability and integrity.
He argued that the conduct of Danladi Umar fell short of these expectations.
Key allegations against the embattled Chairman according to the Senate leader included Corruption and Misconduct with Multiple petitions alleging corruption and misappropriation of funds.
There were Reports of Mr. Umar being absent from office for over a month without official permission.
He was also accused of refusal to Cooperate with Senate Investigations as he only appeared once before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions and avoided subsequent invitations.
He was also accused of engaging a physical altercation with a security guard in the Federal Capital Territory, an incident described as unbecoming of a public servant coupled with ongoing investigations by the EFCC, ICPC, and DSS which the senate refferred to a gross misconduct and negligence.
The Senate replaced Umar with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nominee Mr. Abdullahi Usman Bello whose appointment was confirmed on July 4, 2024.
This decision has sparked criticism, with some legal experts arguing that the legislative body relied on a section of the Constitution—Section 157(2)—that applies to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and not the tribunal.
Critics claimed the removal process was flawed and that the legislature overstepped its bounds.
However, Adebayo who is also constitutional lawyer of repute dismissed the assertions, asserting that the National Assembly has the constitutional authority to discipline public officers, including the CCT chairman.
Adebayo explained that under the principle of separation of powers, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches serve as checks on each other.
“The National Assembly has oversight powers over public institutions, including the judiciary. The CCT chairman, while heading a judicial body, is still a public servant subject to the disciplinary powers of other branches of government,” Adebayo said.
He added that the Code of Conduct Tribunal, unlike the superior courts, operates as a unique judicial body tasked with trying violations of the Code of Conduct. As such, it falls within the legislature’s purview to act when misconduct occurs.
“If the National Assembly and the executive agreed that an official should be removed, that decision stands. The same principle applies to other branches of government intervening in cases of misconduct within their counterparts,” he explained.
Adebayo emphasized that the debate should not be reduced to legal technicalities but should focus on the ethical standards required for such critical roles.
“The chairman of the CCT is the custodian of public ethics. Any hint of misconduct undermines public trust in the tribunal and the judiciary. Someone in such a position must be above reproach, as their role is to enforce the same standards they must exemplify,” Adebayo said.
Reports of alleged misconduct involving the former CCT chairman, including unprofessional behavior, have further fueled public outcry. Adebayo argued that officials in such positions should step down voluntarily when their integrity is questioned.
Addressing the legal arguments raised by critics, Adebayo highlighted the difference between the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
“The CCB is an administrative body under the executive, responsible for compliance and asset declaration. The CCT, on the other hand, is a judicial body tasked with trying violations of the Code of Conduct. While the two institutions are distinct, both are subject to oversight and discipline by the legislature and executive,” he explained.
Adebayo urged Nigerians to approach the issue with objectivity, focusing on accountability rather than partisan arguments.
“The removal of the CCT chairman is about preserving the integrity of our institutions. This is not a matter of partisanship or legal maneuvering—it’s about ensuring that public servants are held to the highest ethical standards,” he said.
While some critics have called for judicial intervention to challenge the removal, Adebayo maintained that the National Assembly’s actions align with constitutional principles.
He emphasized the need for public officers, particularly those in sensitive roles, to maintain the highest levels of decorum and professionalism.
“This incident should remind us of the importance of accountability in governance. The integrity of our public institutions must remain sacrosanct,” Adebayo concluded.
Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has accused President Tinubu of promoting a crude ‘motor park’ style of politics that has destroyed Nigeria’s political institutions.
Speaking during his state of the nation address in Lagos, themed: ‘Let the people know the truth and the country is safe,’ on Sunday, April 20, Bakare blamed the President for turning the National Assembly into a rubber-stamp institution, saying Tinubu’s influence had undermined the separation of powers as lawmakers now blindly approve the president’s decisions in sycophantic loyalty.
He said this has resulted in the weakest and most compromised National Assembly since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
“At the centre of this political banditry is the motor park brand of politics nurtured by the old brigade politicians, and in recent times, by President Tinubu. Mr. President, it is through your influence that the National Assembly has become a haven for legislative rascality. Mr. President, it is under your watch that the National Assembly has become an extension of the executive, grossly violating the principles of separation of powers and rubber-stamping the whims and caprices of your office, while singing the international anthem of sycophants -On your mandate we shall stand.
“Mr. President, thanks to your political machinations, Nigeria is now bedevilled by a captured National Assembly, the most ineffective in its checks-and-balances role since the start of the Fourth Republic.
“In 2006, the Fourth National Assembly had the audacity to reject the tenure extension bid of a sitting president. In 2010, the Sixth National Assembly summoned the courage to stand against a power-hijacking cabal and restore Nigeria to the path of constitutionality by invoking the Doctrine of Necessity. “In 2011, the House of Representatives of the Seventh National Assembly had the courage to elect its leaders, as did the Senate of the Eighth National Assembly in 2015, defying executive interference.
“This National Assembly has by its unconstitutional endorsement of the president’s abuse of powers proven to be the most spineless in our recent history. Through its actions and inactions, it has, in effect, become the 48th member of the president’s cabinet, while a cabinet minister has, more or less, become a third-term state governor in Rivers State, pampered by the indulgences of the president,” Bakare said.
He also said the past few months had shown that those responsible for steering the course of the nation lack the humility and character demanded of leaders and what the country has seen is a descent into tyranny and brazen abuse of power.
“From the theatre of the absurd staged in Rivers State, with puppets on strings controlled by directors in Abuja, to the dance of shame performed by the National Assembly in their rush to suspend the constitution and endorse, through the backdoor, the usurpation of powers by President Tinubu; from the Senate’s shameless bid to silence Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for demanding that the President of the Senate upholds the moral standards required of that office, to the uncouth outbursts of an undistinguished senatorial misfit who tried in vain to silence the distinguished citizens attempting to testify on behalf of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, it is clear that our so-called leaders are determined to turn Nigeria into a mafia state.
“The two main contenders in the ongoing institutional immorality Olympics are the executive and the legislature. While it is not in dispute that our institutions and constitution are inadequate, it has become obvious that our biggest problems are the occupiers of these institutions and executors of the constitution. “The quality of leadership in Nigeria has become so repugnant that citizens must declare a state of emergency on governance, demanding that every aspiring public officeholder undergoes rigorous psychiatric evaluation.
A prominent Lagos hotelier, Otunba Kunle Akinyele, died suddenly on Saturday after collapsing during a church thanksgiving held to celebrate his wife’s 60th birthday.
The tragic incident occurred at Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Iyanu, Odemuyiwa District Headquarters, in Egbeda, Lagos State.
In a now-viral video shared on Facebook by Ayoade Ojeniyi on Sunday, Akinyele was captured seemingly gesturing for help, possibly asking for water or an inhaler, before slumping in the middle of his testimony.
The video showed the late businessman visibly distressed and gesticulating moments before he collapsed.
The thanksgiving service was held in honour of his wife, Deaconess Catherine Adejoke Akinyele. A reception had been scheduled to follow immediately at Noble Castle Events Centre in Igando.
One of the event vendors, who shared their experience on Facebook, revealed that they had arrived at the reception venue by 10am for a party that was billed to commence at 2pm.
The celebrant, her husband, their children, and guests had earlier gone to the church for the thanksgiving and were expected to head to the reception afterwards.
Those plans were, however, disrupted when news broke that Akinyele had collapsed in church. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
“Variety of foods were set, decoration, cocktail, emu oguro, and many more,” the vendor wrote, explaining that the live band had already arrived and mounted about 25 speakers.
Still reeling from the shock, the vendor added that the Master of Ceremony had spoken with Akinyele around 1:23 pm, but less than an hour later, the devastating news of his death had emerged.
The reception was immediately cancelled, and guests were seen departing the venue in confusion and disbelief.
“This is how people die?” the vendor lamented in the post.
“I can’t possibly ask for my balance for the job,” the vendor added.
As of the time of this report, the exact cause of death had yet to be officially confirmed.
The West African Examinations Council has revoked the licences of 574 secondary schools in Nigeria.
WAEC announced that the affected schools were found to have committed examination malpractices.
The examination body also stated that the schools will not be allowed to conduct examinations even as the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, commences from Thursday, April 24, 2025.
This was disclosed by the Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, during a press briefing on Thursday at the headquarters of the examination body in Lagos.
Dangut said WAEC had forwarded the list of the affected schools to the Nigerian government.
“This year, we have shared with them a total of 574 schools that have had their recognition withdrawn, and that is also going to be the same for all examining bodies.
“So, these are those that have got their license revoked as far as the examination centre is concerned. So we will not conduct examinations there. We don’t know them as far as conducting examinations,” Dangut said.
For the forthcoming 2025 WASSCE, Dangut stated that 1,973,253 candidates registered for the examination from 23,554 schools.
Speaking further, he said 979,228 males and 994,025 females would take part in the examination.
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