Buhari is a delegation of B’haram’s choice in peaceful negotiations, but that applies under his government, said Jonathan

Former President of Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that at the peak of the Boko Haram rebellion, the group nominated his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, to represent them in peaceful negotiations with the federal government.

Jonathan made Wahyu on Friday during the SCARS public presentation, a memoir by a former defense chief of defense, General Lucky Irabor (Retd.), In Abuja.

According to him, his government formed several committees to explore dialogue with militant groups. In one of such involvement, the rebels insisted that Buhari, then a leading opposition leader, must be their representative in discussions with government officials.

Jonathan said that this development initially brought him to believe that Buhari, after becoming president in 2015, would have an easier way to persuade the sect to put their arms. However, he noted that the rebellion had survived, underlined its complexity.

“One of the committees we prepared was later told that Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team in negotiations with the government,” recalled Jonathan. “So I think that if they have a level of trust in him, it will be easier for him, after serving, bringing them to the table. But the conflict continues to this day.”

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Reflecting protracted security challenges, Jonathan emphasized that the Boko Haram crisis was deeper than what was often described in public discourse. He told his own experience, saying the rebellion began in 2009 when he became vice president, and increased for five years of his presidency.

“I assume that General Buhari, with the mandate he received, will be able to end quickly. But Boko Haram remains a reality today. The situation is much more complicated than a single narrative,” he said.

Jonathan urged the rethinking of the Nigerian counter-signing strategy, emphasizing that military accounts and conflict documentation were very important to understand the true ideology of the sect and long-term impacts.

“I praised General Irabor for documenting his experience. Such notes helped us unite a bigger picture. I also encourage other officers who fought in the rebellion to share their accounts, so that the Nigerians could fully understand what was really represented by Boko Haram,” he added.