President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the Senate President, Senator Goodswill Akpabio, have been dragged before a Federal High Court in Abuja, over the removal of Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
The President and 10 others were sued by two civil groups, Community Rescue Initiative, Toro Concerned Citizens of a Relief Foundation and an Abuja-based lawyer, Comrade Nasir Bala.
The three plaintiffs are praying the court to restrain the Clerk of the National Assembly from transmitting to President Tinubu the concurrent resolution of the Senate and House of Representatives which purportedly removed Umar as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
They are also praying the court to stop the President from giving effect to the resolution of the two chambers of the National Assembly, on the grounds that clear provisions of the law, especially the 1999 Constitution were not followed in the purported removal of the CCT boss.
Among others, the aggrieved plaintiffs are seeking seven declarative reliefs against the President and 10 other defendants.
The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1796/2024, was instituted on their behalf by Mahmoud M. Maidoki, A.G Salisu, Jibrin S. Jibrin, Abubakar S. Idris and Munir Umar.
In faulting the action of the National Assembly, the plaintiffs asked the Federal High Court to determine: Whether by virtue of the provisions of Sections 1(1) and (3) , 6(5), 153 (1) (e) & (i) of the Constitution as well as Paragraph 13 (a) (vii) and (b) of the Third Schedule thereof, the purported removal of the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal by the 4th Defendant is illegal, void, unconstitutional and of no effect whatsoever same having been made pursuant to the provisions of section 157 (1) of the 1999 Constitution or any other law for that matter.”
