Former presidential spokesman Garba Shehu has dismissed allegations by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram once nominated Muhammadu Buhari to mediate between the insurgent group and the federal government.
He labelled Jonathan’s claim as politically motivated.
“We are compelled to make a response to a terrible statement made on the late President Muhammadu Buhari by his predecessor in office, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to the effect that Boko Haram had nominated him to represent them in a dialogue with government.
“If this is a campaign statement towards his bid for the presidency in 2027, we want to say to him that “Mr. Jonathan, you are making a false start.”
Shehu, responding via his official X handle, said:
“Muhammed Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau … never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari.”
He also recalled a past denial by Buhari, noting that in 2014 the then-presidential candidate narrowly escaped a Boko Haram bomb attack in Kaduna, refuting any claim of cozy ties with the group.
Jonathan had earlier revealed at a book launch that one of his committees was approached by Boko Haram to nominate Buhari for dialogue, a claim that drew sharp rebuke from Shehu.
He also recalled that in 2014, Muhammadu Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury.
According to him, “Buhari’s campaigns focused on fighting Boko Haram and restoring security to Nigeria whenever he became president, putting him in direct opposition to the terrorist group’s leader.”
The disagreement feeds into a broader debate over the insurgency, political narratives, and the 2027 presidential race, as both men stake claims in Nigeria’s history and future.
