Gbajabiamila Blocks Motion Seeking Pantami Dismissal

• Pantami doesn’t qualify to head the communications ministry – Minority leader

Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, house of representatives, on Wednesday shut down a motion demanding the immediate resignation of troubled Isa Pantami.

The communications minister has been in the eye of the storm over his remarks extolling the vicious and abominable creeds of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Ekohotblog had reported how the minister, in a now-viral video of his preachings from the 2000s, said the killing of unbelievers filled him with joy and satisfaction, noting that he saw the then renowned terrorist and serial killer, Osama Bin Laden, a better and superior Muslim than him.

Consequently, there have been growing calls for Pantami’s resignation, from the horde of angry social media users to the leading opposition party PDP.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state had also lent his voice to calls for Pantami resignation. President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling APC have yet to comment on the matter.

At the House plenary on Wednesday, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP-Delta) raised a point of order seeking a House debate that would lead to a demand for Pantami’s resignation.

Elumelu had said Pantami didn’t qualify to head a sensitive ministry that was in charge of Nigeria’s database.

But he was subsequently overruled by Gbajabiamila, an APC chieftain who claimed the opposition lawmaker did not raise the point in line with House rules.

“Your point of order is noted,”  Gbajabiamila said while overruling his colleague, the subject was not broached afterward.

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