A former Minister of Sport within the cupboard of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Barr. Solomon Dalung, has countered the ex-spokesman to the previous President, Garba Shehu, saying the deceased political chief was truly nominated as a negotiator by the terrorist group Boko Haram in 2012 earlier than he turned elected President of Nigeria in 2015.
LEADERSHIP remembers that at a e book launch on Boko Haram insurgency final week in Abuja, former President Goodluck Jonathan had lamented his lack of ability to curtail the terrorist group, reminiscing the way it as soon as nominated the then retired Normal Muhammadu Buhari as a consultant at government-planned negotiation desk.
However, reacting swiftly to the assertion, a former media aide to the late former President Buhari, Garba Shehu, countered and berated Jonathan for the assertion, saying Buhari’s predecessor was solely taking part in soiled politics in anticipation for his deliberate return to workplace via 2027 elections. He mentioned Buhari was by no means nominated for such a job by terrorists and that he was not even conscious of the provide.
Nevertheless, Dalung, who was a political ally of the late Buhari and served as Sport Minister in his cupboard from 2015 to 2019, reacted to the debacle through a Fb publish on Tuesday, saying the terrorists truly nominated Buhari to talk for them however that he rejected the provide.
He mentioned the historic reference by former President Jonathan was right however pointless and meant to attain a political level, recalling that he was nominated alongside late Buhari and late Kebbi-born Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gerei Argungu by the Boko Haram.
The previous Minister wrote: “I owed it a covenant to talk the reality in regards to the legacies of my late boss and chief, President Muhammadu Buhari. When he invited me to affix his political journey, he mentioned—and I quote, “I do know you don’t spare anybody on the subject of talking your thoughts; please don’t spare me every time I err.” I’ve saved this promise all through his lifetime, and I intend to uphold it even after his passing. Talking honestly about his management is each an obligation and an honor I owe to our shared historical past.
“The continuing controversy relating to the alleged nomination of the late President Muhammadu Buhari by Boko Haram, as raised by former President Goodluck Jonathan at a e book launch in Abuja, is pointless and politically motivated. Nevertheless, for the document, I can affirm that someday in 2012, the then spokesperson of Boko Haram, Habu Kaka, made an announcement on Radio Deutsche Welle Hausa Session, Germany, naming Normal Muhammadu Buhari, Barrister Solomon Dalung, and Sheikh Abubakar Gerei Argungu as nominees for peace negotiations with the Federal Authorities.
“Normal Muhammadu Buhari instantly issued a public assertion rejecting the nomination. Due to this fact, what former President Jonathan referred to was certainly a historic occasion, although resurrected now with political undertones. It’s important for posterity that information are distinguished from politics, and historical past from propaganda.”
