Garba Shehu Slams Jonathan Over ‘False’ Boko Haram Claim, Says Buhari Was Targeted—Not Nominated

Garba Shehu, the former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has sharply criticized ex-President Goodluck Jonathan over what he described as a “terrible and false” claim regarding Boko Haram’s alleged nomination of Buhari to lead peace talks with Jonathan’s administration.

In a statement obtained by PulseNets on Friday night via X (formerly Twitter), Shehu described the former president’s remark as “a blatant fabrication designed to score political points ahead of the 2027 elections.”

“We are compelled to respond to a terrible statement made about the late President Muhammadu Buhari by his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The claim that Boko Haram nominated Buhari to represent them in negotiations with government is false. If this is a campaign statement for 2027, then, Mr. Jonathan, you’re making a false start,” Shehu said.

PulseNets reported that the controversy began after Jonathan, while speaking at the public presentation of a new book titled “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Insurgency” authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, revealed that the insurgent group once chose Buhari as its preferred negotiator.

“At that time, Boko Haram themselves nominated Buhari to lead their team in talks with us,” Jonathan reportedly said, adding that he had assumed the insurgency would fade away after Buhari took power.

But Shehu told PulseNets that the claim was not only “inaccurate” but also “dishonourable to the memory of a man who risked his life fighting the same terrorists.”

According to him, neither Muhammad Yusuf nor Abubakar Shekau, the notorious Boko Haram leaders, ever nominated Buhari for such a role. He recalled that Shekau frequently condemned and threatened Buhari, as their ideologies were fundamentally opposed.

“In 2014, the late Muhammadu Buhari narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Boko Haram in Kaduna, during which his staff sustained injuries. His presidential campaigns centered on defeating Boko Haram and restoring peace — positions directly opposed to the group’s extremist agenda,” Shehu emphasized.

PulseNets learnt that Shehu backed his statement with historical context, referencing the 2012 media reports which claimed that Boko Haram had named Buhari, late former Petroleum Minister Shettima Ali Monguno, and other northern elders to mediate in proposed peace talks with the government.

However, Shehu clarified that Buhari had publicly denied the nomination at the time through his party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). He quoted the CPC’s then National Secretary, Buba Galadima, who dismissed the claim as “false and politically motivated.”

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The former presidential aide also referenced the party’s then Publicity Secretary, the late Rotimi Fashakin, who accused the Jonathan-led administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of exploiting the story for political propaganda.

“Without any scintilla of equivocation, General Muhammadu Buhari has never been directly or remotely connected with any act of insurgency against the Nigerian nation. He was, and remains, a patriot who commanded respect across ethnic and religious divides,” Fashakin was quoted as saying.

Garba Shehu’s rebuttal, obtained by PulseNets, appears to be a direct attempt to protect Buhari’s legacy amid resurfacing political narratives ahead of the 2027 presidential race.