Code of Conduct Tribunal Chairman and Corruption fights back
Nelson Ejukumi
Ever since the trial of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki at the code of conduct tribunal commenced, the tribunal chairman, justice Danladi Umar has been alledged as a corrupt person against whom it was even stated, that the attorney general and minister of justice of the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan was supposed to commence prosecution, but couldn’t, due to reasons that they alone could explain, or if you permit, we could hazard a guess, that maybe, it was because stealing was not corruption.
However, because like we have been warned, when you fight corruption, it will not succumb easily, but will fight back and it will be dirty and messy and this seems to be what is playing out with regards to the allegations of corruption against the CCT chairman at the house of representative, just because of his resolve to discharge his constitutional responsibility, dispassionately.
Allegations against justice Danladi Umar was petitioned to the House of Representatives and the house committee in investigating the matter summoned Justice Danladi Umar and the petitioner. Yesterday, after two previous sittings in which the CCT chairman was physically present, but the petitioner didn’t show up and when he finally did, he couldn’t substantiate his petition with facts. Rather he diverted attention to the attorney general and minister of justice whom was now confronted with questions in order to provide evidence for a petition, of which he knew nothing about and he responded appropriately by stating that the grounds of the petition was mere rumour.
With the way the matter is going, in which it was adjourned again by the house committee for another day, it becomes imperative and important to alert Nigerians about the game being played by anti corruption elements to tarnish the image of this judicial officer without facts and intimidate him from discharging his duty and we must raise our voices to condemn it in unequivocal terms.
Nigerians, be on the alert, as corruption even though, we all know is evil, will not give up easily. The message we must pass to corruption and its agents who are on the prowl is that, a child who says the mother will not sleep, has himself, murdered sleep.
In the fight against corruption, there is no going back as we are more than ever ready to support the government to tame this monster which is tamable.Nelson Ekujumi
