A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, has denied that the Department of State Services informed the National Assembly on the past extremist views of the embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, during his ministerial screening in 2019.
The lawmaker, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Navy, stated that he was amongst those who screened Pantami in 2019.
Gagdi, a member of the House representing Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam Federal Constituency in Plateau State, spoke on Monday while featuring on TVC breakfast show, ‘Your View.’
He made this statement in reaction to the claim by a former Assistant Director with the DSS, Dennis Amachree, that the agency informed the legislative arm of the Minister’s past extremist views.
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Gagdi said, “I don’t think it is true that there was (anything) in that report regarding Pantami to the National Assembly, quote me anywhere.”
“What is clear which I stand by is that this pressure which some Nigerians who are privileged to know the commitment and disposition of Pantami when he was 34, why didn’t they bring it up to the attention of the National Assembly during the screening of the ministerial nominees?
“These Nigerians that have access to this very important information, what stopped them from hitting the media with it at the time the screening exercise was being conducted? That was the time the National Assembly had the power to reject nominations of the President or to confirm nominations.
“If the information had gone out and the National Assembly had gone ahead to confirm Pantami, then I will accept responsibility that the National Assembly had done extremely bad.”
