In what might be termed a suspicious move considering the timing, the Senate yesterday began the process of amending the Code of Conduct Act.
The proposed legislation, entitled: “Code of Conduct Act CAP C15 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (SB 248)”, scaled the crucial first reading without opposition in the red chamber yesterday.
Another Bill that scaled first reading is the “Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (Amendment) Bill 2016 (SB249).
Senator Isah Hamma Misau (APC/Bauchi Central) sponsored the ACJA amendment bill.
The proposed amendments of these crucial Acts is coming at a time the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets when he was Governor of Kwara State.
However, denying that the amendments have anything to do with the trial of Mr. Saraki, the sponsor of the Code of Conduct Act amendment Bill and staunch supporter of the embattled Senate President, Senator Peter Nwaboshi (PDP/Delta North), told reporters that the bill aims to save Nigerians from desperate and overzealous politicians.
Nwaboshi described the bill as “a patriotic” piece of legislation that should be quickly passed to make the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) independent”.
On the timing of the proposed amendment, the senator said that he was prompted to initiate the bill after going through the judgment of the Supreme Court, which gave the CCT the go-ahead to try Mr. Saraki.
He added that in spite the suspicion of the timing of the bill, his duty is to Nigerians and to Nigerians alone.
Explaining what he meant that the objective of the bill is to save Nigerians from overzealous and desperate politicians, Nwaboshi said: “The CCB and the CCT are under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. It is clear to every Nigerian that the SGF is a politician. He can use the organs as a weapon against his opponents.
“Since the Supreme Court has ruled that the CCT is a court, the CCB and CCT should not report to a politician. It should be made an independent body that should be seen to be neutral and independent of any politician.
“The original framers of the CCB and CCT Act did not intend to create and institution that should be used as a weapon by an individual”.

What's good for Tinubu is equally good for Saraki
How can you jail Saraki whilst Tinubu who committed same offense is walking a free man?

i comment my reserve......

If the judiciary is independent and yet not immune to executive fiats, what happens then to CCB/CCT which is an apron of the office of SGF.

It will be the executive police dog?