Loyalists of former President Muhammadu Buhari have faulted claims by former President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram terrorists once nominated Buhari to represent them in negotiations with the then government.
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Spokesman for the late President Buhari’s loyalists and former presidential aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, dismissed the claim, urging Jonathan to “find another story to tell Nigerians.”
In a statement on Friday night, Shehu described Jonathan’s assertion as false and politically motivated, recalling that in 2014, Buhari narrowly escaped a bomb attack by Boko Haram in Kaduna, during which his personal staff sustained various degrees of injuries.
“We are compelled to respond to a terrible statement made by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the effect that Boko Haram had nominated Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in a dialogue with the government,” Shehu said. “If this is a campaign statement toward his 2027 ambition, then Mr. Jonathan, you are making a false start.”
He stressed that the late Boko Haram leaders, Muhammed Yusuf and Abubakar Shekau, never nominated Buhari for any such role. Instead, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, whose political ideology was in direct opposition to that of the terror group.
According to the statement, Buhari consistently campaigned to defeat Boko Haram and restore peace in Nigeria, further discrediting claims of any association with the group.
It recalled that in 2011, Buhari, then leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), denied reports that Boko Haram had chosen him as a mediator, a position confirmed by then CPC National Secretary, Engr. Buba Galadima.
Galadima had told reporters at the time: “As at 10 pm yesterday when I spoke with him, he said he had not even heard about it. Since nobody has contacted him or explained the motives, he would not speak to the press.”
The statement noted that the false report originated from a faction of the terrorist group, allegedly sponsored by political opponents, which named Buhari and other northern leaders as preferred mediators — a claim later disowned by Boko Haram’s leadership.
The then CPC National Publicity Secretary, the late Mr. Rotimi Fashekun, also condemned Jonathan’s government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for politicising the issue.
He said, “Without any scintilla of equivocation, General Muhammadu Buhari has never been directly or remotely connected with any insurrection or insurgency against Nigeria. He remains a patriot who continues to command respect across all divides.”
Fashekun further accused the PDP-led government of being the “harbinger of Nigeria’s insecurity” and alleged that one of the three identified factions of Boko Haram — the “political Boko Haram” — was linked to the ruling party at the time.
Shehu concluded, “To win in 2027, Dr. Jonathan should look for a better story to tell Nigerians.”
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