The upper chamber of the National Assembly is currently in a closed-door meeting to discuss the removal of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Justice Danladi Umar.

The plenary presided over by the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio has broken into a closed-door session.

This development follows a motion sponsored by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who invoked Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which outlines the process for removing the Chairman of the CCT.

Bamidele urged the Senate to act on the motion, citing a plethora of petitions against Justice Umar.

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To ensure a seamless and rancour-free debate, senators opted for a closed-door session to address grey areas before opening discussions to the full Chamber, a source within the Senate told Newsmen.

The Constitution mandates a two-thirds majority vote of the joint Chambers for the removal of the CCT Chairman.

If Justice Umar is removed, the motion indicates that Abdullahi Usman Bello will be sworn in as the substantive Chairman of the tribunal.

The deliberations come amid growing concerns over the conduct and operations of the CCT, with the outcome of the Senate’s decision likely to impact the tribunal’s leadership and operations.

The Senate is expected to resume an open session once internal discussions are concluded.