Pantami: Fani-Kayode replies critics, says I offer no apology, don’t need your validation

Nigeria’s Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has responded to critics that berated him for shaking hands with Isa Pantami, Nigeria’s Communications Minister, and calling him a brother and friend at the wedding of President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf, in Kano on Friday.

Nigerians had criticised  the ex-minister  for calling Pantami, who he had earlier referred to  as a Jihadist, a brother.

However, Fani-Kayode on a long post on his Twitter handle on Saturday night, said he did not care what people thought about his action.

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His tweets read: “Are you still foaming at the mouth cos I shook hands with Isa Pantami? Keep foaming & let your blood pressure go higher. If you like drop dead. I offer no apology or explanation & I need no validation from u. You either trust my judgement or u do not & either way I do not care.

“You see my faith teaches me to forgive those that express regrets about their past actions and utterances & to be at peace with as many people as possible. It also teaches me to shake a hand when it is extended to me in friendship.

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READ ALSO: Gumi Knocks Nigerian Politicians For Attending Buhari Son’s Wedding In Private Jets

“The bottom line is as follows: you can do and say your worse. You can vent until you wee in your pants. You can wail until you defecate in your trousers. You can scream and shout from morning till night. You can run up and down like a weather beaten and rain soaked chicken..whose head has been cut off until you collapse. You can do all these things simply because I took a picture with a fellow Nigerian and called him my friend and brother. It does not move me and it changes nothing: though we may not agree on everything, Isa & I are now friends & we will remain friends.

“Live with it or die with it. If most of you had 10% of my courage and foresight Nigeria would be a far better place. History will vindicate me and posterity will judge us all. You do not know what I know and you do not see what I see. You assume the worse because you are the worse. Whatever u choose to say or do I don’t care.

“All I know is that I will never prostitute my principles or compromise my stance on fundamental issues & I will disagree with those that I choose to disagree with but I will never be driven by hate or be deaf, dumb and blind to reason. And unlike most of you I can never be a coward. I have the courage to be civil and to be civilised to those that offer me respect and friendship even if we do not agree on all things. The question is do you?

“You didn’t see Buba Galadima hugging Ahmad Lawal. You did not see GEJ shaking hands with PMB. You did not see Atiku shaking hands with PMB. You did not see GEJ shaking hands with 0sinbajo. The only thing you saw was FFK & Isa Pantami shaking hands! Who do you like this???”