Amidst stiff protest, the presidency yesterday justified the appointment of former House of Representatives Speaker, Salisu Buhari as a member of governing council board for federal universities.
The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati contended vehemently that Buhari was fit and proper for the appointment.
Maintaining that those appointed have the capacity to make positive contributions, the president’s Media Adviser also refuted claims by critics that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were mainly favoured in the appointment.
But Abati argued that Buhari had already been pardoned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo after he had apologised to his colleagues on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“Salisu has brought these comments and they are very controversial. People are saying that he was convicted for forgery and perjury under the Obasanjo’s administration. If you recall after that conviction, he not only apologised on the floor of the House of Representatives, the administration at the time subsequently granted him pardon.
“Pardon means you can no longer be punished for whatever offense you have committed. It means that your rights have been restored and you can again legitimately act for the society. The pardon says you can’t be shut out of the society. If you have opportunity again to serve your country, of course, you can be asked to be part of the process.
Abati who re-echoed President Jonathan’s commitment to transparency and accountability added that the federal government was operating an open door policy and can still go back on any of the appointments if there was a protest from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) or from the concerned university.
Source: Punch
