Garba Shehu Dismisses Jonathan’s Boko Haram Claim

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan claimed that Boko Haram once nominated ex‑President Muhammadu Buhari as its preferred negotiator in peace talks with the federal government. He made the statement during a public presentation of a book by former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor in Abuja, saying his administration had created several committees to dialogue with the sect and that, in one of those efforts, Boko Haram had nominated Buhari to lead their negotiating team. Jonathan added that the failure to end Boko Haram showed the conflict was more complex than many believed and urged the current administration to use both carrot‑and‑stick approaches.

Garba Shehu, a former presidential spokesperson who served as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the late President Buhari, dismissed Jonathan’s claim in a post on X. Shehu called the allegation “a terrible claim” and “a false start” if it was intended to support any future political ambition. He argued that the deceased Boko Haram leaders, Muhammad Yusuf and Abubakar Shekau, never nominated Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, and their ideologies were directly opposed.

Shehu recalled that in 2014 Buhari narrowly escaped a bomb attack in Kaduna, which injured some of his aides. He also referenced a 2012 statement by the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), led by Buhari, which denied the alleged nomination. CPC National Secretary Buba Galadima clarified that Buhari “was not aware of the appointment,” and CPC National Publicity Secretary Rotimi Fashekun criticized the PDP‑led government, calling the claim “a ploy to divert Nigerians’ attention from massive looting.”

Jonathan’s assertion has sparked debate about the complexity of the Boko Haram conflict and the need for a comprehensive approach to end the insurgency, which has plagued Nigeria for over a decade. The dispute between Jonathan and Shehu underscores the challenges of finding a lasting solution to the insurgency.