President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has defended the Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami, noting his views on terrorism are less grievous than former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun’s certificate forgery.
Shehu disclosed this when he featured on Channels Television on Friday.
Recall that former Finance Minister, Adeosun was pressured to quit her position in 2018 after the revelation that her National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, exemption certificate was allegedly forged.
Pantami, the Communications Minister, expressed views in support of Al-Qaeda and Taliban during his lectures in the 2000s.
Reacting to the backlash that trailed his views, the Islamic preacher explained his views had changed, but there is a persistent clamour for his resignation. The presidency, however, dismissed the demand.
Shehu said in the case of Pantami, “you are probing the thoughts, what is called ‘McCarthyism’; you search the inner recesses of the minds of individuals, bring out things they have said or they are about to say, or you think they would say and use that against them.”
“If Pantami had forged a certificate before coming into office, the attitude would have been different”, he added.