Addressing State House Correspondents on Wednesday, Abati said Gusau remains a bonafide member of the Federal Executive Council.

Contrary to reports by an online media alleging that the Minister of Defence, Aliyu Gusau has resigned from office, Abati said his absence from Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting has nothing to do with the alleged resignation as he was permitted by President Jonathan.

“General Gusau remains in office as Minister of Defence. He was absent from today’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council and this particular online medium cited that in support of its allegation that he had resigned. Well he was absent from the meeting with the permission of President Jonathan so the story is not true, he remains in office and he himself has already dismissed the story as untrue”.

Speaking on the suspended CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Abati wondered why he has continued to make allegations against the government. He said his removal from office was not to cover his claim that monies were missing from the National Treasury but the need for him to step aside to enable unhindered investigation.

“As was clearly stated in the letter suspending Mallam Sanusi from office and as further confirmed by President Goodluck Jonathan in his last Presidential Media Chat. Mallam Sanusi’s suspension was fully based on the need for him to step aside while the weighty charges of financial recklessness, gross misconduct and persistent disregard for laid down rules and regulations in the management of the Central Bank made against him by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and pothers are properly investigated”.

Abati appealed to Sanusi to stop misleading Nigerians and the International community with his comments.

“Instead of trying to provide some reasonable response to the clear and ambiguous query of his official conduct as Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi has cynically chosen to whip up public sympathy for himself and anger against the Federal Government by deliberately misleading unwary Nigerians and the International community into believing the falsehood that he is being punished for exposing corruption”.

He also explained that the Federal Government has engaged an International audit company to audit the NNPC account.