After an emotional session in which senators spoke on top of their voices, the Nigerian Senate, whose President, Bukola Saraki is facing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), yesterday okayed a bill that amended the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
The bill transfers the power to exercise authority over the Bureau from the President to the National Assembly.
Under the bill, the CCT shall be made up of the chairman and four other members, with three of the five forming the quorum at every sitting.
Since they cannot exercise executive powers, the lawmakers, allowed the President to retain his power of appointment into the CCB.
However, if the bill becomes law, the appointment of the chairman and members of the bureau and the tribunal will be subject to the Senate’s approval, with the appointment of those in the bureau limited to a tenure of five years, while the second term will be subject to legislative approval.
The bill originated from the House of Representatives. After passage, it was referred to the Senate.
It was first introduced in the Senate in April, 2016 by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi but was later withdrawn following public outcry that it was self-serving and meant to weaken the powers of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal.
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