Former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has refuted claims that he linked the late President Muhammadu Buhari to the Boko Haram insurgency, saying his recent comments were misrepresented.
Jonathan made the clarification in a statement issued by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, following the controversy that trailed his remarks at the public presentation of a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd), in Abuja on Friday.
During the event, the former president had recalled that Boko Haram once nominated Buhari as a mediator during his administration — a statement that drew criticism, particularly from members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, in the statement, Eze explained that Jonathan’s comments were “grossly misrepresented,” stressing that “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.”
He added that Jonathan’s reference to the insurgency was merely to highlight “the deviousness and manipulative strategies employed by Boko Haram in their early years.”
The statement urged Nigerians to disregard any distortion of the former president’s remarks, noting that Dr. Jonathan remains committed to promoting peace, unity, and democratic values in the country.
