By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA—Loyalists of late President Muhammadu Buhari have vehemently debunked the claim by former President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated Buhari to represent them in peace negotiations with the Federal Government.
In a scathing statement issued Friday night, Mallam Garba Shehu, spokesman for Buhari’s loyalists and former media aide, told Jonathan to “look for another story to tell Nigerians,” suggesting the claim was a “false start” to a potential 2027 presidential bid.
Buhari ‘Escaped Bomb Attack’
Shehu systematically dismantled Jonathan’s assertion, arguing that the former President’s claim ignores the hostile relationship between the two parties.
“Muhammed Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau, the deceased leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist group, never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, and their ideologies were in direct opposition,” the statement read.
Shehu further pointed out a 2014 incident as irrefutable evidence: “Muhammadu Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury.”
The loyalists’ statement referred to the 2012 incident where the nomination rumour first surfaced, providing evidence that Buhari himself denied any knowledge of it at the time.
In a statement from 2012, then-National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr. Buba Galadima, had quoted Buhari saying, “He has not even heard about it… the whole thing to him, is just speculation.”
The loyalists attributed the misleading information to a “faction of the terrorist group, possibly sponsored by Buhari’s opponents,” and highlighted that the core Boko Haram leadership, under Abubakar Shekau, had promptly condemned the claim.
The statement also resurrected past political tensions, quoting the late CPC National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashekun, who had accused the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of exploiting Buhari’s alleged nomination for political gain. Fashekun had previously alleged the existence of a “Political Boko Haram” sponsored by the PDP-led government to create perpetual insecurity.
The counter-statement concluded with a direct challenge to the former President: “To win in 2027, Dr. Jonathan should look for a better story to tell Nigerians.”