Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad has strongly denied a claim by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram nominated Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in negotiations with the government.
Ahmad’s rebuttal, posted on X, seeks to clarify what he calls a misrepresentation of facts following Jonathan’s remarks at the book launch of retired Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor in Abuja.
During the event, Jonathan stated that a committee set up by his administration to explore dialogue with Boko Haram had seen the group nominate Buhari as their representative.
The claim, which sparked widespread media coverage, prompted Ahmad to counter that “the Boko Haram terrorist group never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role.”
He emphasized that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, whose ideology starkly opposed the insurgents’.
Ahmad referenced a statement from Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari’s former spokesperson, issued the same evening, reinforcing that no such nomination occurred.
He also cited Buba Galadima, a close associate of Buhari, who in 2013 dismissed similar speculation, saying, “General said the whole thing to him, is just speculation. And since nobody has contacted him as a person... he would not speak to the press.”
Underlining Buhari’s status as a target, Ahmad recalled a 2014 attack on Buhari’s convoy in Kaduna, which he described as a clear assassination attempt that left several staff injured.
“It is therefore important to state for the record that President Buhari never negotiated with the government on behalf of Boko Haram,” Ahmad declared, urging the public to recognize the late president’s victimization by the insurgency, not collaboration with it.
The rebuttal has fueled heated online debate, with Ahmad’s post amplifying divisions over Buhari’s legacy and Jonathan’s tenure.
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