TheCable

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, on Tuesday banned Ubong Joshua Etukudo, an ex- supervisory councillor of Ibesiko local government area, from holding public office — both elective and appointive — for three years over his failure to submit his asset declaration form within the stipulated time.

Delivering his judgment, Danladi Yakubu Umar, the tribunal chairman, held that the prosecution counsel proved his case beyond reasonable doubt, and that the accused was guilty of the offence as charged.

He, therefore, handed him a three-year ban.

“The defendant having conceded to all what was said against him in the charge, that was truth by the witness from Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the tribunal had no option than to summarily convict the defendant for the said charge and handed over the punishment of banning him not to be appointed to any position as public officer for the period of three years, both appointive and elective position,” he held.

At the commencement of the session, the prosecution team led by Musa Usman Ibrahim (SSC), who appeared for the CCB, told the tribunal that he was ready for the trial when the accused person insisted he would defend himself, despite advice from the court that he should get a legal representative.

After judgment was delivered, the prosecution asked the tribunal to give time to those who had not been served with summons, and he asked that court to grant some of the accused persons who were present a short adjournment to enable them to engage the service of lawyers.

The chairman subsequently granted the requests, and he adjourned the matter to March 15 2017 in Enugu where another round itinerant session of the tribunal would take place