Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami should resign from office, irrespective of his recent volte-face on his alleged previous support for extremist groups.
According to the governor, in an ideal society, an allegation that the United States of America has placed a serving minister on its watch list as regards terrorism should jolt any government into action.
Wike, who spoke during an interview with the African Independent Television in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday, said: “If it was really where a government is working if an American government says your minister is on a watch list, it calls for concern for you to say ‘look there is a problem’. The moment a high government official is on a watch list as regards terrorism, no government can fold its hands and allow it.
“The minister ought to have resigned from the government immediately the information about his extremist views in support of terror groups became a matter of public discourse.”
The Rivers State governor also described as worrisome the decision of the federal government to remain mute amidst the raging controversy about the minister’s sympathy for global terrorist groups.
“I don’t understand why a reasonable government will allow such a person to be in the cabinet’, he said, noting that the All Progressives Congress-led federal government was known for its proclivity to shield persons of questionable characters, even when the country’s secret service presents overwhelming evidence against such individuals.
“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”, Governor Wike said.
