Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar on Tuesday approached a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop the Senate from probing him on an alleged assault and public misconduct.
The four defendants in the matter are the Senate, Senate President, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, and the Attorney General of the Federation AGF.
The CCT Chairman is challenging the powers of the Senate to investigate him in an alleged assault perpetrated against a security guard at Banex Plaza in Abuja.
He is also asking the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate, its members, and agents from conducting or continuing to conduct investigations into the allegations of assault leveled against him through a petition submitted to the Senate.
Specifically, the plaintiff wants the court to determine whether the alleged case of assault which took place at Banex plaza in Abuja on March 29, 2021, formed part of the matters the Senate is constitutionally empowered to investigate.
He also asked the court to determine whether the Senate and its Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions are competent to investigate or invite him in relation to the investigation of the allegation of assault brought against him and whether the powers of the Senate to conduct the investigation are not governed or subject to the provision of sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.
The plaintiff, therefore, wants the court to declare that the purported case of assault which took place on March 29, 2021, did not form part of the matters the Senate is constitutionally empowered to investigate.
He further asked the court to declare that the Senate’s move to conduct an investigation in the matter is unconstitutional and amounts to unwarranted usurpation of the functions of the police and of the court of competent jurisdiction.
At the day’s proceedings, Umar’s counsel asked Justice Ekwo to grant all the reliefs sought by his client and restrain the defendants from causing his investigation.
However, counsel to the Senate, Kafayat Suleyman urged the court to dismiss the suit insisting that the Senate has the power under section 88 of the Constitution to investigate alleged misconduct by any public officer.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, therefore, fixed April 26 for judgement in the suit after Danladi and the four defendants in the matter adopted their final processes.
First published in Barrister Nigeria, https://barristerng.com/alleged-assault-cct-chairman-seeks-to-stop-senate-from-probing-him/