President Goodluck Jonathan has denied that he travelled to Chad Monday with a former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff. The president, in a statement today by his spokesman, Reuben Abati, also denied that Sheriff participated in a security meeting with him and Chadian President Idriss Deby. Meanwhile, the presidential spokesman had Monday evening posted a picture on his twitter handle showing Sheriff seated in a meeting with Jonathan and Deby. Australian negotiator Stephen Davis had recently alleged that Sheriff and a former Army Chief Azubuike Ihejirika were sponsors of the Boko Haram sect. The president had come under attacks for travelling to Chad with Sheriff for the security meeting aimed at forging a stronger alliance against terrorism and violent extremism. But Abati claimed today that Sheriff was not on Jonathans entourage to Ndjamena, saying the former governor happened to be there at the time of the president’s visit and joined other Nigerian residents of the Chadian capital in coming to the airport to welcome Jonathan. The presidential spokesman specifically slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other critics for accusing Jonathan of hobnobbing with the alleged financier of the Boko Haram sect. Abati, who said Sheriff’s presence in Chad was not at Jonathan’s instance, also insisted that the former governor did not participate in any of the president’s discussions with President Idriss Deby or his (Jonathans) other engagements in Ndjamena. He said Jonathan was fully aware of the allegation made against Sheriff by Stephen Davis and the ongoing investigation into it by the security agencies who, he said, would make their findings known to the public in due course. Abati quoted the president as assuring all Nigerians that he had not willfully taken any action that could prejudice the outcome of the ongoing inquiry. He said Jonathan also reassured the nation of his total commitment to doing all within his powers to bring all identified and verified sponsors of terrorism to justice, and ending the menace of violent extremism in Nigeria. The statement read: We have noted with surprise, the unnecessary hue and cry raised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other bigoted critics of the Jonathan Administration over the claim that the President is “hobnobbing” with the former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who was recently accused by the Australian, Stephen Davis of being one of the chief sponsors of the terrorist group, Boko Haram. The totally erroneous basis for that charge was the spurious claim that Senator Sheriff accompanied President Jonathan on his recent trip to Ndjamena as a member of his entourage. Although Senator Sheriff himself has already given the lie to that claim through his Media Adviser, the Presidency wishes to affirm, for the purpose of emphasis, that the former Borno State governor was not on President Jonathan’s delegation to Chad. In keeping with President Jonathan’s commitment to transparency and openness in the conduct of government business, names of the key members of his delegation were announced a day before his trip to Ndjamena. They included the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and the Director- General of National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Seidu Mohammed. As can be easily verified from the complete list of members of the Presidential entourage to Chad which was also circulated on Sunday and never changed, Senator Sheriff’s name was not on it. The only other persons on the list were the President’s aides, security personnel and journalists. The APC and others who rushed to condemn President Jonathan for a non-existent indiscretion would have found, if they took the least trouble to double-check, that there was absolutely no factual basis for their accusation. Those who associate with Senator Sheriff know that he has longstanding interests in Chad and often spends a lot of his time there. He happened to be in Ndjamena at the time of President Jonathan’s visit and joined other Nigerian residents of the Chadian capital in coming to the airport to welcome their President. That was the full extent of his participation in the visit and it was also at Ndjamena Airport that the pictures which formed the basis of the bogus allegation of President Jonathan hobnobbing with an “accused sponsor of terrorism” were taken. The former governor’s presence in Chad was certainly not at President Jonathan’s instance and he did not participate in any of the President’s discussions with President Idriss Deby or his other engagements in Ndjamena. President Jonathan is fully aware of the allegation made against Senator Sheriff by Stephen Davis. That allegation is already being investigated by the security agencies who will make their findings known to the public in due course. The president assures all Nigerians that he has not willfully taken any action that could prejudice the outcome of that ongoing inquiry. He seizes this opportunity to reassure the nation once again of his total commitment to doing all within his powers to bring all identified and verified sponsors of terrorism to justice, and ending the menace of violent extremism in the country.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:35:48 +0000
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