BY BECKY OLAJIDE, ABUJA – Notable leaders and members of the Civil Rights Action Against Corruption (CRAAC) have disassociated themselves from what they described as “puerile, odious, infantile, wicked, treacherous and devil inspired campaign of calumny against the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev Pam by a self-styled Coordinator.
As a result, members of the group resolved that following their findings that the statement Comrade John Olukayode issued was abi-initio, the product of the figment of his dimmed imagination, the entire leadership and members resolved to sack and permanently expelled him from the organization and was immediate replaced with Comrade Paul Katuka, who was elected as Acting Coordinator of the group through majority votes.
The leaders and members of CRAAC made up of Members of the CRAAC leadership led by Comrade Paul Katuka, Musa Imam -Kogi State, Joshua Obukohwo – Cross River State, David Gizo – Plateau State, Joy Yohanna – Gombe State, Efe Isiah, Charles Jerry Ndukwu – Enugu State, Stella Oriaku – Benue State, Emmanuel Udenna – Delta State, Rachel Irhivboje – Edo State, Idris Adamu – Nasarawa State, Ibrahim Hassan – Katsina State and Dogara Ibrahim – FCT, pointedly said that the story published in the Vanguard newspapers titled; “Same faith ticket: Anti-graft body asks Pam to resign as Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Rev. Yakubu Pam”, was not only misleading but concocted.
The leadership of CRAAC specifically said that the purported statements aimed at blackmailing Rev. Pam were totally unfounded and spurious thus, tendered an unreserved apology to the NCPC boss.
CRAAC in its statement noted that the misleading statement from a supposedly leader of a civil society group on a personality that is known to be a straight forward person stand condemned.
The members also declared that they are particularly excited by the position of the larger majority of their members and leaders after a special stakeholders meeting in Abuja on Saturday, November 5, 2022 which concluded that the statement credited to the Coordinator is not only lacking in evidence but also an outlandish falsehood that cannot be substantiated and devoid of all truth.
They said; “We the bona fide members of the Civil Rights Action Against Corruption wish to commend and identify with well-meaning groups and patriotic individuals that have been condemning the puerile, odious, infantile, wicked, treacherous and devil inspired campaign of calumny and distraction against Rev Pam embarked by our Coordinator.
“It is noteworthy that the coordinator was invited to the meeting and was given ample opportunity to defend or substantiate his wild allegation and misplaced aggression against Rev Pam, but he shamefully failed to show up!
“It is pertinent to note that the meeting resolved to hereby tender unreserved apology to Rev Pam, for the campaign of calumny and distraction by the erstwhile coordinator of our group.
“It tells much of the gravity of our former coordinator’s gaffe that, not only we the rank and cadres of the organization are condemning him, but also that the larger members of the Nigerian society across the religious and regional divides.
“This brings us to the task of analyzing the motive of our former coordinator’s reckless statement against Rev Pam. To us in CRAAC, there is no other meaning to the infamous statement beside it being a clear sponsored campaign of calumny, blackmail and distraction against Rev Pam.
“It was patently intended to de-market the remarkable progress the Commission has achieved under his leadership and set in motion the process of destroying the fabrics of his reformative agenda. In the least, destructive action in such a circumstance, lead to the uprooting of his tender and budding flowers of progress in the Commission.
“Our final take on the infamous and unfortunate statement credited to him is that, he should have known better and we believe that he was well aware of the full import and implications of the contents of his perfidious allegation. He also cannot be over looked for tarnishing the image of a selfless public servant. At over fourty years, he is not an infant whose actions of blackmail and mischief may be excused as the boisterous antics of a cantankerous adolescence,” members of the group stressed.
