Presidency Under Attack For Backing Pantami As Reps Caucus Demands Minister’s Removal

LAGOS APRIL 25^TH (NEWSRANGERS)-As controversy continues to surround the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, over alleged links to terrorist groups, the Presidency has come under severe criticism for backing the embattled senior government official.

Pantami, in one of his old sermons that resurfaced recently, praises notorious terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, and also speaks highly of terrorist network Al-Qaeda. However, he recently apologised for his extremist views, claiming he had since changed.

But the Presidency, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Thursday, said, “The administration stands behind Minister Pantami and all Nigerian citizens to ensure they receive fair treatment, fair prices, and fair protection in ICT services.”

However, a cross-section of Nigerians, including members of the House of Representatives, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, slammed the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), for protecting an alleged terrorist sympathiser.

The minority caucus in the House of Representatives criticised the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, for faulting how the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, called for a debate on the issues around the embattled minister.

Opposition lawmakers argued that Elumelu came on the right order, saying Gbajabiamila should not have prevented a debate on the call.

The caucus also condemned the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, for allegedly insulting Elumelu, asking the House spokesman to apologise to the Minority Leader.

According to the caucus, while “standing with millions of Nigerians,” it “demands that the Speaker should immediately act on the prayers of the motion by conveying the same as the position of the House to Mr President, having accepted the appropriateness of the procedure and taken legislative note of the prayers therein.”

The spokesman for the caucus, Francis Agbo, on Friday, said this in a statement titled ‘Isa Pantami: Elumelu’s Motion Properly Presented on the Floor – Minority Caucus Replies House Spokesman…Caucus Insists on the Resignation of Minister Isa Pantami…Calls on House Spokesman to Apologise to the Minority Leader over His Reckless Statement.’

The statement read, “Our caucus will not condone any unwarranted attack on any of our colleagues, let alone the Minority Leader, who is doing very well by speaking the mind of the silent majority of Nigerians, who have no platforms to speak out.

“In any case, we are aware that Hon Kalu was not in plenary when the motion was moved. We expected him to have consulted the rule book before attacking the Minority Leader, for we believe if he had done that, he would have saved the 9th House of Representatives the embarrassment his statement has caused.

“We, therefore, demand that Hon Kalu should withdraw his statement and tender an unreserved apology to the Minority Leader and Nigerians for misrepresenting the rules of the House.”

However, in its response, the House issued a statement titled ‘Isa Pantami: Elumelu’s Improper Presentation – House Refuses to Withdraw Statement and Reiterates Zero Tolerance of Terrorism in Any Kind,’ insisting that Elumelu failed to comply with the rules guiding presentation of motions on the floor of the chamber.

In the statement, Kalu dismissed the arguments by the opposition lawmakers, insisting that the rules of the House must be followed.

The statement partly read, “The House acknowledges the severity of the issue and its nature as a matter of public concern. As always, the House stands ready to give audience to Rep Ndudi Elumelu or any other member of the House on this issue, provided that such audience is sought through the proper channels and brought under the relevant rules of the House.

“The relevant issue raised by Hon Elumelu, which is of national importance, is inadmissible under privileges for what it seeks to address, since matters under privilege, once breached, must be personal and internal to the House.

“This is why all matters of privilege are sent to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, not to the President directly as the House resolution, as alleged by the yet-to-be-tutored ‘spokesman’ of the minority caucus. One wonders what the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges will be doing with the sack of Pantami.”

CAN questions Buhari’s willingness to fight terrorism

Meanwhile, the apex Christian body in the country has called on the Department of State Services, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the National Intelligence Agency to investigate all the allegations raised against Pantami regarding his alleged links with terrorists groups, including Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The Head of Media, CAN, Pastor Bayo Oladeji, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH in Ibadan on Friday, said the Buhari regime had shown a lack of seriousness in the war against terrorism by allegedly turning a deaf ear to the weighty allegations against the minister.

Oladeji said, “The position of CAN is that the DSS, DIA and NIA should investigate the allegations against Pantami. Turning a deaf ear to the allegations against the minister shows that the government is not serious with its counterinsurgency.

“In a civilised society, Pantami ought to have resigned or stepped aside. He should have voluntarily offered himself to be investigated but in Nigeria of today, anything goes.”

The Chairman, Ondo State chapter of CAN, Rev John Oladapo, said the statement credited to the Presidency on Pantami’s link with terrorist groups, was an indication that the Buhari-led Federal Government was supporting terrorism in the country.

Oladapo, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said the statement credited to the Federal Government on the matter was embarrassing, adding that the situation was that of Nigeria versus Nigerians in the fight against insurgency.

The CAN Chairman in Ekiti State, Rev Fr Peter Olowolafe, urged the authorities to do the right thing and learn to promote justice and truth.

Similarly, the PFN described the position of the Presidency to the allegation against Pantanmi as a mockery of Nigeria and its people, adding that the minister ought to have resigned from office to allow proper investigations carried out into the allegations against him.

The National Publicity Secretary of PFN, Bishop Emmah Isong, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, stated that the allegation of a terrorism link should not be overlooked by any government serious about fighting terrorism.

NBA, PDP, CSOs, others say Pantami must go

In a related development, the Nigerian Bar Association criticised the Federal Government over Pantami’s stay in office, saying the regime should not be seen as having sacred cows.

The National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Dr Rapulu Nduka, told Saturday PUNCH, “I believe that public office is not a child’s play. People occupying it should be accountable. Whether his views have changed or not is between him and God. The government should not be seen as having sacred cows or that some people are untouchable.

“A former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, resigned when the issue of her NYSC certificate scandal came up. That is better. In fact, it is wrong for people to think that Nigeria revolves around them. That is wrong and it is not true. Nigeria is bigger than any individual. This is quite unfortunate and this leads us to the issue of the Nigerian agenda.

Punch

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