Reps amend CCB, CCT Act, strip president’s powers

Against public outcry over attempts by the Senate to amend the act setting up the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) the House of Representatives has gone ahead with the amendment.

The House in the amendment, removed the power to appoint and discipline members of staff of the CCB from the purview of the president, and placed it on the National Assembly.

Section 4 (2) was amended to substitute the word “President” with “the National Assembly” as the one to appoint members of staff of the Bureau and exercise disciplinary control over them.

Section 1 (4) was deleted and replaced with “the chairman and members shall serve for a term of five years subject to renewal for one further term only.

However, the House would still require the concurrence of the Senate that had previously stepped the bill down before it could be forwarded to the President for assent.

Read also: obj is a liar, Al Mustapha says

The amendments were contained in the report of a bill for an Act to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, 2004 that was considered and adopted on Tuesday by the Committee of the Whole House.

Paragraph (e) was added to Sections 3 of the Act to read: “Upon complaint(s) of any breach or where it appears to the Bureau that there is a breach of the provision or this Act, the person concerned shall be given particulars of such non compliance or breaches to explain before any reference to the tribunal.”

Accordingly, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) would no longer have powers to immediately refer a matter to the CCT, unlike what currently subsist.