Senate & CCT/CCB Act amendment

The Senate last week, in what appeared to be the most accelerated amendment of Acts, passed for second reading, a bill seeking to amend the Act establishing the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The Bill, sponsored by Peter Nwaoboshi, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senator from PDP Delta North, passed the first reading Tuesday last week when it was first introduced. Two days later, it passed the second reading and is ready for third reading within one week.

Nwoboshi had argued that the procedural codes that were being employed by the bureau’s tribunal were not provided for in the nation’s constitution. According to him, “It is clear that the Act does not contemplate criminal trial so the usage of Criminal Procedure Act and the Criminal Procedure Code should not be used as a procedural template in the Tribunal.” “In due course, I will present to this distinguished Senate a comprehensive amendment of the Third Schedule to the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Rules of procedure which should be distinct rules for proceedings in the Code of Conduct Tribunal,” he further said.

What is astonishing is that almost all of those who contributed and supported the amendment were senators loyal to Bukola Saraki.

A Senate that has not successfully passed any bill since its inauguration in June last year, for the good of the country, appears set to conclude everything about the amendment of the CCB Act in a flash.The haste at which this assignment is being undertaken appears to have aroused the suspicion of the Nigerian people that there is more to it than meets the eye.

The question being asked now why the Senate had waited until now that its principal officer is standing trial to move for the amendment.

Senator Yahaya Abubakar (APC) Kebbi North was cerebral enough to have cautioned against the timing, noting the possibility that the integrity of the Senate might be rubbished if it still goes ahead with the amendments since Saraki was being tried by the Tribunal for false assets declaration.

But the wise counsel was discarded with a wave of the hand by Ike Ekweremadu, deputy president of the Senate, who presided at the plenary, whose claim we consider rather preposterous. Ekweremadu said the amendment had nothing to do with Saraki’s trial.

We are equally shocked that the Senate appears to be taking all Nigerians for a ride. It also seems that the Senate thinks Nigerians have lost their ability to distinguish between what is right and wrong. The decision to amend the Act at this point in time smacks of irresponsibility on the part of the elected legislators.

For an arm of government, elected to make laws for the good governance of the country to now turn round to destroy existing laws just because such laws stand on their way or such laws seek to check their excesses, is as wicked as it is condemnable.

Despite the claim by the protagonists that “This bill will not affect the proceedings at the Code of Conduct Tribunal,” reading in between lines, the reason behind the move is to protect themselves, starting with Saraki.

In its condemnation of the legislative rascality, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) described the amendment as a legislative ambush capable of scuttling Senate President Bukola Saraki’s trial. The NLC argued that while the intention of the Senate might be noble and in line with their legislative function, the timing of the amendment calls to question the real intentions of the upper legislative house. “It is quite intriguing that it took the trial of the Senate president for the Senate to discover the flaws in the law(s). Putting it bluntly, despite the spirited defences by the deputy Senate president to the contrary, not a few believe that this legislative move is a desperate attempt to scuttle the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, at the CCT,” a statement by the Labour said.

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) described the Senate move as “gangster approach to legislative business” and a desecration of the upper chamber of the National Assembly with the amendment.

The TMG in a statement said the amendment showed the level of desperation and the despicable extent to which legislators were willing to descend.

To be sure the Senate is not on a self-protecting mission, it must forth-with drop the project until an auspicious time when it would be applauded by one and all.

It behoves the upper legislative chamber to be law-abiding, patriotic and demonstrate a high sense of integrity and responsibility in the discharge of their duties.