Why Buhari Will Not Sack Patami – Wike; Says Power- play Sacked Magu |The Source

By Gideon Njoku

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says President Muhammadu Buhari is not likely to sack the embattled Minister for Communications and Digital  Economy, Isa Pantami from his Cabinet.

The Minister has been under attack over the damning expose of him as a jihadist and a sympathiser and supporter of terrorism. He had unbelievable sympathy for both the Al Qaeda Leadership as represented by the late Osama Bin Laden, and the Taliban Leadership. He praised them each time they successfully carried out terrorist activities, and  commended Bin Laden for being a better Muslim than him, Pantami, for successfully killing thousands of people in the World Trade Centre horror, in the US.

Back in Nigeria, his preaching in Mosques were fiery and inciting and had encouraged religious clashes.

He did not deny, but put under pressure, the Minister says he is matured now, and that his understanding  of religions has changed since then.

But many Nigerians are of the opinion that Pantami is not remorseful and he remains the same. A leopard does not change its spots, they argue. They have, therefore, put him under pressure to resign, failing which they are asking the President to sack him.

Since the Pantami scandal,  President Buhari has said nothing, nor has the Federal Government addressed it.

At the end of the  Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, April 21, Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed,  told State House Correspondents that the Pantami issue was not discussed.

But weighing in, Governor Wike is wondering what Pantami is still doing in Buhari’s cabinet. He calls it an aberration, emphasising that in saner climes, the Minister would have since resigned, or sacked.

Speaking in an interview with the African Independent Television, AIT, Wike said he knew that Buhari would not sack him because he does not listen adhere security reports.

Exonerating, indirectly, the Security organs that screened Patami, Wike was quoted by his Media Adviser, Kelvin Ebri, as reminding the AIT about the case of the now-sacked Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

Two times, the then leadership of the Directorate of State Services, DSS, wrote damning reports against Magu’s confirmation by the Senate. The Senate did not. But that did not stop Buhari from keeping Magu in office for five years, in an Acting capacity.

The Governor said that Magu was eventually sacked because of power-play, nothing more.

He accused the APC-led Government, of shielding people with questionable character in its fold, saying that is why Pantami is safe.

Wike: “I don’t understand why a reasonable Government will allow such a person (Pantami) to be in the cabinet,

“But you were here when DSS wrote a report against (Ibrahim) Magu. What happened? Look, I have never seen a country that your secret service wrote a report about the nominee of Mr President, questioning his character and the rest, and that he is not appointable. What happened? So, what are you talking about. What removed Magu is a power play.”

In the midst of the damning revelations against Pantami, no Northern Governor, or Leader, has condemned him, asked for his resignation from office, or his sack by President Buhari.