Buhari Camp Explodes: Jonathan ‘Desperate for 2027’ After Boko Haram Claim

A fresh political storm has erupted between two former Nigerian leaders, as the camp of late President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a swipe at ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him of peddling “falsehood” and “desperate propaganda” ahead of a possible 2027 presidential bid.

The uproar follows Jonathan’s sensational claim in Abuja on Friday during the launch of “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum”, authored by ex-Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), where he alleged that Boko Haram once nominated Buhari to represent them in negotiations with the Federal Government.

Buhari’s former spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, wasted no time hitting back. In a late Friday statement, Shehu dismissed Jonathan’s account as “politically motivated fiction” deliberately crafted to sway public opinion and rebrand himself for 2027.

> “If this is a campaign statement towards his bid for the presidency in 2027, we want to say to him: Mr Jonathan, you are making a false start,” Shehu declared.

Shehu stressed that it was impossible for Boko Haram to have trusted Buhari, pointing out that the group’s late leader, Abubakar Shekau, routinely denounced the retired general and even ordered a deadly bomb attack against him in Kaduna in 2014.

“Buhari built his political campaigns on defeating Boko Haram and restoring security. That alone put him in direct conflict with the terrorists. He was never their friend, he was their sworn enemy,” Shehu said.

To debunk Jonathan’s claims, Shehu revisited the 2012 saga when one Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, posing as a Boko Haram commander, staged a press conference naming Buhari, the late Shettima Ali Monguno, Ambassador Gaji Gatimari, and others as potential mediators.

Shehu noted that Boko Haram’s true leadership under Shekau quickly disowned Abdulaziz, dismissing him as an impostor.

“This shows clearly that the claims were stage-managed, possibly by Buhari’s political enemies, to drag his name into the insurgency,” he insisted.

At the time, Buhari’s political party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), also issued a rebuttal through its National Secretary, Engr. Buba Galadima, who confirmed Buhari had not even heard of such a nomination.

Shehu accused Jonathan of selectively revisiting old rumours to tarnish Buhari’s legacy while positioning himself for another presidential run.

“Jonathan is trying to rewrite history. Nigerians are wiser now. To win in 2027, Dr. Jonathan must look for a better story to tell—this one won’t fly,” he concluded.