Former President Goodluck Jonathan has firmly rebutted claims circulating in the media suggesting he alleged that the late President Muhammadu Buhari had ties or connections to the Boko Haram terrorist group. In a detailed statement released on Saturday by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan insisted that his recent comments were severely misinterpreted and wrongly portrayed.
The clarification became necessary following the reaction to remarks Jonathan made on Friday at the public presentation of “Scars,” a book authored by the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor. During the event, the former President had recalled a specific, well-known episode from the past where Boko Haram, while his administration was attempting to establish a dialogue committee, had mentioned Buhari among a list of individuals they wanted to represent them in peace negotiations with the Federal Government.
Setting the Record Straight on Misleading Reports
The Office of Former President Jonathan took issue with “misleading reports” implying that his recount of the event somehow suggested Buhari was complicit in the Boko Haram crisis. “We wish to make it abundantly clear that the former President’s comments were grossly misrepresented,” the statement noted. “At no time did Dr. Jonathan suggest, imply, or insinuate that President Buhari had any connection with Boko Haram or that he supported the group in any form.”
The core of Jonathan’s message, according to his aide, was to highlight the devious and manipulative strategies employed by the terrorist group during its early years, rather than to implicate the former General. Eze explained that Jonathan’s reference was to a widely documented period where different factions falsely claimed to speak for Boko Haram and often invoked the names of prominent Nigerians as potential mediators, frequently without those individuals’ knowledge or consent.
Deception, Not Accusation: The True Context of Jonathan’s Remarks
Jonathan’s point, the statement elaborated, was that Boko Haram habitually used the names of respected public figures to sow confusion, exploit political divisions, and undermine public confidence in the government. His comments were intended as an illustration of the terrorist group’s duplicity, not a direct accusation against the late former president or any individual.
Driving the point home, the former President’s office posed a pertinent question: “If indeed Buhari was their choice negotiator, why didn’t Boko Haram expeditiously bring their evil terrorist agenda to an end when the retired General became president?” The statement categorically affirmed that Dr. Jonathan fully recognizes that President Buhari, like every patriotic Nigerian, stood firmly against terrorism and was himself a target of Boko Haram violence. Both leaders, during their time in office, were committed to restoring peace and stability to Nigeria.
The former presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, had earlier dismissed the account as “false and politically motivated.” However, Eze urged Nigerians to disregard the distorted narratives and reaffirmed that Jonathan remains unwavering in his commitment to the nation’s peace, unity, and the consolidation of its democracy.
