Jonathan Lied, Buhari Was Boko Haram Target, Not Ally – Ex-Aide Shehu

Former statesmanlike spokesman, Garba Shehu, has dismissed claims by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram erstwhile nominated the precocious President Muhammadu Buhari to correspond them successful bid talks with the Federal Government.

Shehu, successful a powerfully worded connection connected Friday, described Jonathan’s assertion arsenic mendacious and politically motivated, insisting that Buhari was ne'er an state of the violent radical but alternatively 1 of its premier targets.

He recalled that successful July 2014, Buhari narrowly escaped a Boko Haram weaponry onslaught successful Kaduna, which near members of his idiosyncratic unit injured. “How past could anyone successful bully conscience accidental the sect nominated him arsenic a mediator?” Shehu asked.

According to him, Jonathan’s connection was thing much than an effort to people governmental points up of a imaginable 2027 statesmanlike bid.

“If this is simply a run connection towards his bid for the presidency successful 2027, we privation to accidental to him that Mr. Jonathan, you are making a mendacious start,” Shehu declared.

The erstwhile statesmanlike media adjutant clarified that Buhari ne'er accepted oregon acknowledged immoderate information from Boko Haram.

He cited a 2011 connection by the past Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) National Secretary, Engr. Buba Galadima, who confirmed Buhari had nary cognition of immoderate specified appointment.

“As astatine 10pm yesterday erstwhile I spoke with him, helium said helium has not adjacent heard astir it,” Galadima had told reporters astatine the time. Buhari, helium added, considered the reports arsenic specified speculation and maintained that arsenic a patriotic Nigerian, his lone relation was to proceed praying for bid and stableness successful the country.

Shehu explained that the disorder arose from a property league successful Maiduguri addressed by 1 Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, a self-styled Boko Haram commander, who mentioned Buhari and different bluish elders arsenic imaginable mediators.

That claim, Shehu said, was aboriginal denounced by Boko Haram’s existent enactment nether Abubakar Shekau, who insisted Abdulaziz had nary mandate to talk connected behalf of the sect.

He besides recalled that the precocious CPC Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin, had astatine the clip accused Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of weaponising the mendacious study for governmental gain. Fashakin described Buhari’s alleged information arsenic a diversionary maneuver by a corrupt authorities to screen up “massive looting of the nation’s commonwealth.”

“Without immoderate scintilla of equivocation, General Muhammadu Buhari has ne'er been straight oregon remotely connected with immoderate insurrection oregon insurgency against the Nigerian federation and her people. He remains the quintessential patriot,” Fashakin had said.

Shehu further alleged that it was the PDP-led authorities nether Jonathan that fuelled insecurity, pointing to revelations by information agencies and adjacent Jonathan’s ain admittance that Boko Haram elements had infiltrated his government.

He categorised the insurgents into 3 groups — the archetypal Boko Haram aggrieved by the sidesplitting of their person Mohammed Yusuf, a transgression faction motivated by money, and what helium called the “Political Boko Haram,” which helium said the PDP authorities embodied.

To the erstwhile President, Shehu had a blunt message: “To triumph successful 2027, Dr. Jonathan should look for a amended communicative to tell.”