By Abiola Olawale
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has denied accusing his successor, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, of having any links to the Boko Haram insurgency.
The clarification comes hot on the heels of a heated exchange that has reignited debates over Nigeria’s protracted fight against terrorism.
Jonathan’s statement, issued through his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Eze, on Saturday, described circulating reports as “gross misrepresentations” of his recent remarks.
Speaking at the launch of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum—a new book by retired General Lucky Irabor, former Chief of Defence Staff—Jonathan recounted a 2012 incident where a fringe Boko Haram faction, led by one Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, publicly named Buhari among northern elders as a potential mediator in stalled peace talks with the government.
However, the statement had generated massive reactions with Garba Shehu, former spokesperson to Buhari, refuting the claim as “false and politically motivated”.
Clarifying his statement, Jonathan said his comments were part of a broader reflection on Nigeria’s security challenges and were meant to highlight the deceptive tactics employed by Boko Haram in its early days.
The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Office of Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been drawn to misleading reports circulating in sections of the media suggesting that Dr Jonathan alleged that Boko Haram nominated the late President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, to represent them in dialogue with the Federal Government, and therefore this made him somehow complicit in the Boko Haram crisis.
“We wish to make it abundantly clear that the former President’s comments were grossly misrepresented. 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.
“Dr Jonathan’s remarks, made in the course of a broader discussion on Nigeria’s security challenges, were meant to illustrate the deviousness and manipulative strategies employed by Boko Haram in their early years.
“His reference was to a well-documented episode when various individuals and factions falsely claimed to represent the terrorist group and purported to name prominent Nigerians as possible mediators, without those individuals’ knowledge or consent.
“The point Dr Jonathan sought to make was that Boko Haram, in its characteristic deceit, often invoked the names of respected public figures to sow confusion, exploit political divisions, and undermine public confidence in government.
“His comments were therefore an illustration of the group’s duplicity, not an accusation against the late former president or any individual, for that matter.
“The former president’s position was that 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?
“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr Jonathan recognises that President Muhammadu Buhari, like every patriotic Nigerian, stood firmly against terrorism and was himself a target of Boko Haram violence. Both men, during their respective tenures, shared a common commitment to restoring peace and stability to Nigeria.”
