Ahmad Gumi, prominent Islamic cleric, says the nation will regret it if Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, is removed from office.
Mr Pantami has come under heavy pressure to resign or be sacked since his past public declaration of support for terrorist groups al-Qaeda and the Taliban re-emerged into national discourse in the past ten days.
The Minister has, however, recanted his past views on the terror groups, saying his position at the time was based on his understanding as a teenager.
In an interview with Roots TV on Monday, Gumi said the allegations against the minister are unfounded and should be discarded.
According to him, the embattled minister was rather a nationbuilder who was working to attract other youths of his ilk to support the government.
“Show me, one person, he has killed?” Mr Gumi queried. “He has not killed anybody. He has not ordered the killing of anybody. The man is stabilising a government among a section of youth which we want them to come and join in nation-building.”
“You cannot Islamise the whole world. Jesus Christ came; he could not Christianise the whole world. Nobody can Islamise or Christianise Nigeria,” Gumi said.
“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.”
The Islamic cleric’s stand tallies with that of the Nigerian presidency which claimed that Mr Pantami has not committed a grievous offence. Aso Villa insists Mr Pantami would not be sacked from office since he has apologised for his past pro-terrorism utterances, claiming he was young when he made those reckless takes.
