Prominent Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has urged the Federal Government to stick to its decision to retain the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, in its cabinet.
Gumi said the nation will regret it if government caves in to pressure from some quarters and relieves Pantami of his post.
Pantami has been under fire from individuals and groups over his comments in the 2000s that showed that he had sympathies for terror groups like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The minister has, however, recanted his past stance on the terror groups saying his views at the time was informed by his immaturity and patchy understanding of the world.
But reacting to the growing call for Pantami’s resignation yesterday, Gumi said the allegations the minister are unfounded and should be discarded.
The Islamic scholar said this while featuring on a Roots TV programme yesterday.
He said, “You cannot Islamise the whole world. Jesus Christ came; he could not Christianise the whole world. Nobody can Islamise or Christianise Nigeria,”
“All his actions, one hundred percent, shows he is not a terrorist. Those who are terrorists are after his life. The minister should continue. His presence there is fighting the terrorist ideology.
“Show me one person he has killed. He has not killed anybody. He has not ordered the killing of anybody. Discard the fake news. The man is stabilising a government among a section of youths, which we want them to come and join in nation-building. They should not throw him away. Leave him. He is not a terrorist sympathiser.
“And you people are fighting them. No. You should get more people like Pantami and put them in power. It will stabilise. Don’t remove him. You’ll regret.”
Gumi’s reaction came days after the presidency’s mounted defended Pantami’s past extremist comments by saying he reechoing the minister’s reason for making them.
The presidency, however, alleged that information and communications technology (ICT) companies are sponsoring “smear campaign” against Pantami because of the ongoing reforms under his leadership as the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
