Buhari was never nominated by boko haram as mediator, says Garba Shehu
By: Zagazola Makama
Former presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, has dismissed claims by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to mediate between the group and the Federal Government.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Shehu described the claim as “false and misleading,” insisting that neither the late Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, nor his successor, Abubakar Shekau, ever nominated Buhari for such a role.
He said contrary to the insinuation, Boko Haram had consistently denounced and threatened Buhari, who survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Kaduna in 2014.
Shehu recalled that at the time, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) publicly denied Buhari’s alleged nomination through a statement by its then National Secretary, Engr. Buba Galadima, who stressed that the retired general had no knowledge of any such appointment.
He explained that the speculation originated from a faction of Boko Haram led by one Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who staged a press conference in Maiduguri in 2012, naming Buhari and some northern elders as preferred mediators.
“Shekau himself disowned the claim and said Abdulaziz had no mandate to speak for the group,” Shehu stated.
He further recalled that the then CPC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Rotimi Fashakin, had accused the Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of politicising the matter.
“Without any scintilla of equivocation, General Muhammadu Buhari has never been directly or remotely connected with any insurrection or insurgency against the Nigerian nation and her people. He remains the quintessential patriot,” Shehu quoted Fashakin as saying.
The former presidential aide alleged that Jonathan’s government bore responsibility for worsening insecurity at the time, adding that the PDP was accused of sponsoring a political wing of Boko Haram.
He said Jonathan’s latest comments were an attempt to “rewrite history” ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
“To win in 2027, Dr Jonathan should look for a better story to tell Nigerians,” Shehu added.
