Group Calls For CCT Reform

A group, Access to Justice, has decried what it described as “a well documented history of poor performance” of the Code of Conduct Tribunal since its creation in 1989.

Access to Justice lamented that despite its mandate and its enormous powers, the CCT had operated largely as a toothless bulldog in spite of the yearly budgetary allocations voted to it.

It therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to undertake an urgent reform of the CCT in order to transform it and rebuild public trust in its ability to fight corruption.

Access to Justice took this position while speaking to journalists in Lagos about a special report it published in its journal, The Justice Observatory Journal, following a probe into the activities of the CCT between 2014 and 2015.

In the said special report entitled, “The Bump on a Log: Why the Code of Conduct Tribunal Malfunctions, and How it can be Reformed,” Access to Justice identified flawed legal framework, lack of independence and accountability and vesting of too much power in the chairmanship of the CCT as some of the factors responsible for its poor performance over the years.

It also particularly expressed concern over the public image of the CCT in view of the allegations of corruption trailing its current chairman, Mr. Danladi Umar.

It also criticised the limitation of the CCT to only complaints emanating from the Code of Conduct Bureau and advocated that its jurisdiction should be expanded to also try offences by other anti-graft agencies.

It added, “The Code of Conduct Tribunal should no longer operate as an agency or institution under the executive branch of government.

“Its role and functions are judicial and as such, it should be established under the judicial branch of the government and supervised by judicial bodies like the National Judicial Council or the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

“There should be an amendment to make clearer demarcation and allocation of powers between members of the board of the tribunal – its chairman and two members.

“Amendments should remove limitations in the jurisdiction of the tribunal. The reform should allow the tribunal adjudicate over cases brought by other anti-graft agencies against public officers and not just from the Code of Conduct Bureau.”

It called for the removal of Umar as the CCT chairman, saying the allegations of corruption against him had brought public ridicule on the CCT.

“It is no longer tenable for Danladi Umar to continue in office as the chairman of the tribunal. The allegations against him have brought public ridicule and embarrassment and have done incalculabe harm to the image of the tribunal and the judiciary in Nigeria.

“Mr. Danladi Umar needs to make way for the CCT to become a useful institutional asset in Nigeria’s fight against corruption.”

The Director of the group, Joseph Otteh, however, clarified that the call for Umar’s removal was not political, stressing that it had nothing to do with the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

“We know there has been a lot of controversy about the Code of Conduct Tribunal and its leadership lately, but this report is not about one individual as such it touches on the conduct of the chairman to some extent, but it is about the tribunal as an institution and why that institution is not working and how to make it work and deliver on its mandate,” Otteh said.