NJC recommends new CCT chair

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended Mainasara Umar to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as the new Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

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The recommendation was one of several decisions reached at the NJC’s 109th plenary held on Wednesday in Abuja under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

The NJC’s Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, in a statement on Thursday, noted that the decision followed public complaints and a rigorous vetting process by an eight-member interview committee. He said the process was in line with the 2023 Revised NJC Guidelines and Procedural Rules for Judicial Appointments.

“Similarly, Council has also recommended Mainasara Ibrahim Kogo Umar, Esq. to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for appointment as Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal,” Mrs Babalola-Ogedengbe stated.

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Mainasara Umar is a legal scholar and royal prince from the Kogo Royal Dynasty in Kano State.

Mr Umar holds multiple degrees and has served in various legal and advisory roles before his appointment to the tribunal. His rise reflects the growing intersection of traditional influence and judicial leadership in contemporary Nigeria.

As a reform advocate, Mr Umar has pledged to modernise the operations of the CCT and restore public trust in its mandate.

Controversy over Danladi Umar’s removal

Mr Umar’s recommendation comes after months of controversy surrounding the embattled CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar.

In 2024, President Tinubu appointed Mainasara Umar as CCT chairman, bypassing the NJC’s constitutional role.

But the embattled former chairman refused to vacate office, insisting his tenure had yet to expire.

In November, the National Assembly passed resolutions calling for his removal, resolutions later found to have procedural errors.

Legislative missteps

Under Section 17(3) of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, the CCT chairperson can only be removed through a presidential order backed by a two-thirds majority of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

While the Senate met this threshold—84 senators voted in favour of the embattled chairman’s removal during a motion moved by Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the House of Representatives fell short.

The House motion, moved by Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere, was passed without establishing the presence of the constitutionally required 240 lawmakers (two-thirds of 360).

A physical headcount by PREMIUM TIMES found only 92 members present, far below the threshold.

Despite this, the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, proceeded with a voice vote and downplayed concerns raised by Mansur Soro (PDP, Bauchi), who pointed out the constitutional breach.

The speaker described the House’s action as a “concurrence” with the Senate’s resolution, citing bipartisan support.

“The Senate has already taken action on this subject matter, and ours is just concurrence,” Mr Tajudeen said, before putting the motion to a vote without confirming quorum.

Shortly after, President Tinubu approved the new CCT chairman’s appointment, this time backdating the appointment to 27 November 2024, but still without NJC’s involvement, which raised concerns about executive overreach and breach of constitutional processes.

NJC’s push for transparency

The NJC reaffirmed its dedication to transparency and public involvement in judicial appointments. As part of reforms adopted at its 108th meeting in April, the Council now mandates all Judicial Service Commissions, including those of the Federal and FCT, to publicly disclose the names of recommended candidates before the NJC makes a final decision.

“In line with this policy, memoranda on the appointment of judicial officers pending before the NJC must include names of candidates and be made public,” NJC Secretary Ahmed Saleh explained.

The NJC said it received 86 public responses during the latest call for comments on judicial candidates—73 (85 per cent) were favourable and 13 (15 per cent) were adverse.

Of the adverse submissions, five were disqualified for lack of verifying affidavits and three were dismissed for being based on already-resolved issues, such as the appointment of the Chief Judge of Ekiti State.

Also, the remaining five valid complaints, four were dismissed and one led to the disqualification of a candidate.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the NJC approved the compulsory retirement of nine judges in Imo State for falsifying their birth records and recommended 21 individuals for judicial appointments across different states.