The Anti-Corruption Network, which filed a petition of N44.5 million graft allegation against the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Chairman, Justice Danladi Umar, yesterday failed again to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, to defend the petition.
This prompted Justice Umar to ask the committee to dismiss the petition, a request that the panel, yesterday, turned down.
The House Committee had fixed, yesterday, to hear the corruption allegation against the CCT chairman by the Anti-Corruption Network, after the petitioner failed to attend the hearing, last week.
In the petition to the House, through the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, dated November 5, 2015 and signed by the Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network, Ajulo I. Ajulo, the group said: “We are very saddened to report that the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, is infested with a despicable and deplorable level of corruption. To be precise, the Chairman of the tribunal, Mr. Yakubu Danladi Umar, has been engaging in dishonest, unscrupulous and discreditable conduct.”
Justice Umar arrived at the venue of the public hearing at about 11.30am, but after waiting for the petitioner for over two hours, he pleaded with the Chairman of the Committee, Rep Uzoma Nkem-Abonta to declare that petitioner had abandoned the matter.
In his request, he said: “As a matter of fact, we have great respect for this institution, that is why we have been here all these while. We do really have tight schedule of work in our office, including judgments and administrative works to do.
“We have been here since 11:30 am, the last time we were here at 12 but it appears they are not serious about this. So, we implore this honourable House to consider this petition abandoned because if they are serious they would have been here.”
The request was as a result of the plea by the Director of Operations for the Anti-Corruption Network, Olusegun Abereoran, asking for additional seven days to enable the executive secretary of the network prepare his brief as stipulated in the invitation letter sent by the Clerk of the committee.
[Vanguard]
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