In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja, the Presidency stressed that the claim that the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration cleared the area of Boko Haram insurgents at the time to enable election to hold there was untrue and should be dismissed.
“The superlative claims by the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki that the Goodluck Jonathan administration cleared the Northeast of Boko Haram terrorists to make elections possible in 2015 is untrue and should be dismissed as an attempt to deceive Nigerians with blatant lies,” the statement said.
It added that the claim as contained in a new book by a journalist, “is just another unfortunate attempt by inglorious Nigerians to rewrite the history of our country in such a way as to cover the sins of the past.”
The statement added: “We will have to read the entire text to offer a full and adequate response.
“As a public relations goon for the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, the author did not surprise anyone by dismissing the acclaimed successes of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in the fight against Boko Haram, claiming that this government simply took the glory for the achievements of the previous government in the war against terrorism.
“For those interested in the facts, as at the time of the elections, were held in March 2015, a number of local government areas in northeast Nigeria were completely under the control of Boko Haram, to the extent that elections in those areas had to be moved to safe areas. The residents of areas such as Gwoza, Banki, Kukawa, Monguno, Bulumba, Baga, Gamboru Ngala, Dikwa, Mafa, etc., were able to vote, not in their hometowns but in refugee camps in other parts of Borno State, under special arrangements made by INEC.
“Since the Buhari administration came into power, however, many of those residents have returned to their homes and Boko Haram eradicated from their areas. In many of these areas, institutions such as schools, police stations, markets and courts have been reestablished or in the process of being reestablished.
“Despite Mr Dasuki’s attempt to rewrite history, Nigerians could not have forgotten the embarrassing stories of failed weapons that plagued our country’s military during the previous administration, when unserviceable weapons, expired ammunition and fake armoured vehicles caused untold grief to our valiant armed forces on the battlefield, with arms exploding willy nilly and guns failing to fire. It is for trespasses like these that the Buhari administration is determined to get to the bottom of the 2.1 billion Dollars arms procurement scandal and ensure that no single one of the culprits goes scot free.
“The truth, as a matter of fact, is that the monster of terrorism got bigger and more daring due to the incompetence and mis-governance of the last administration and no amount lies and fiction can change that.”
The foreword said to have been written by Dasuki from his detention facility is to a 308-page new book titled: “Boko Haram Media War- An Encounter with the Spymaster” written by Yushau A. Shuaib.
Dasuki said in an extract from the foreword: “In fact, without our intervention in ensuring the defeat of Boko Haram, the electorates could not have had the opportunity to exercise their franchise. It is a fact that we provided peace and stability that afforded Nigerians, especially in the North-East in voting for their governors, legislators and others in the 2015 elections.”
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