Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated Muhammadu Buhari as their preferred negotiator during peace efforts with the Federal Government.

Jonathan made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja at the public presentation of Scars, a memoir by retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor.

He explained that while his administration established several committees to explore dialogue with the insurgents, the group insisted that Buhari should represent them in one of such instances.

According to him, this raised his expectations that Buhari, upon assuming office as president in 2015, would find it easier to persuade the group to lay down arms.

However, he noted that the insurgency persisted, proving that the crisis was “far more complex” than often presented.

Jonathan said: “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government. I felt that when he later became president, it would have been easy for him to get them to surrender. But even till today, Boko Haram is still there.”

He stressed that eradicating the terrorist group has never been straightforward, arguing that external influences and sophisticated weaponry point to support beyond poverty or hunger.

“If you value the weapons they use, you will know these are not hungry people,” Jonathan remarked, suggesting a carrot-and-stick strategy might be more effective.

The former president also revisited the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok, describing it as a permanent scar on his administration.

He expressed hope that one day, insurgent leaders would document their own accounts, just as veterans of the Nigerian Civil War did, to shed light on their motives.

Jonathan acknowledged that both his government and that of Buhari tried various approaches but admitted that Boko Haram’s longevity showed the limits of conventional counter-insurgency methods.

He called on the current administration to reassess its strategy and adopt new ideas to address the crisis.

Boko Haram, which began in Borno State in the early 2000s under Mohammed Yusuf, rose to global notoriety after Yusuf’s death in police custody in 2009.

In 2012, at the height of its violence, the sect was reported to have named Buhari among respected northern leaders it trusted to mediate talks with government.

Buhari, however, rejected the offer at the time, accusing the Jonathan administration of trying to use his name for political ends.

The House of Representatives is considering a sweeping electoral reform that would see all major elections in Nigeria, presidential, governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly polls, conducted on the same day.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas revealed this on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with a delegation from the European Union (EU).

He said the move is designed to improve efficiency, reduce expenses and encourage higher voter participation.

According to him, merging all elections into a single day would enhance credibility and reduce the challenges that usually accompany Nigeria’s prolonged election periods.

“Like the single-day election, it is to hold the election of the president, national assembly membership, governorship and state house of assembly membership elections on the same day. In our own thinking, it will help to reduce our electoral process, particularly on the turnout of voters,” Abbas said.

Supporters of the proposal argue that the reform will lower the cost of elections, cut down on political tension, ease logistical bottlenecks, and minimize security risks associated with staggered polls.

Abbas also disclosed that the proposed constitutional amendments under consideration go beyond election scheduling.

They include reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities, as well as provisions for financial autonomy and clearly defined roles for traditional rulers.

He urged the EU delegation to partner with the National Assembly in advocacy and public enlightenment, stressing that state assemblies must also give their backing for the reform to sail through.

“We will do all the needful as far as legislation is concerned to enable INEC to have all the necessary tools and provisions to make the 2027 election much better than the 2023 election,” the Speaker assured.

The National Assembly is currently reviewing the 1999 Constitution, and voting on the alteration bills is expected later this month.

Past attempts to introduce same-day elections have failed, but lawmakers say the current momentum could make 2025 different.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls will remain a permanent scar on his life and political legacy.

He spoke in Abuja on Friday at the unveiling of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a memoir authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor.

Praising Irabor as a soldier of integrity who never politicised national security, Jonathan said the book’s title resonated deeply with him because of the tragedy that shook the world during his presidency.

“One of the greatest scars on my administration is the abduction of the Chibok Girls,” he said.

“As Bishop Kukah noted, no plastic or cosmetic surgeon can erase it. It is a scar I will carry to the grave.”

The abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014, triggered global outrage and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

While some girls escaped or were freed through negotiations, more than 80 remain missing over a decade later.

Jonathan recalled that the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009 under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, when he was Vice President and escalated during his time in office.

“For five years I fought Boko Haram as President,” he said.

“I believed that my successor, President Buhari, would eliminate them quickly, but the group has endured. The truth is that Boko Haram is far more complex than people realise.”

He argued that defeating the sect requires a mix of force and negotiation.

“The carrot-and-stick method may be the way forward,” Jonathan suggested, while pointing out that the insurgents’ sophisticated weaponry showed external sponsorship.

“Sometimes their firepower even outweighed what our soldiers had. That cannot be the work of ordinary villagers,” he added.

Jonathan’s handling of the abduction drew harsh criticism at the time, with civil society organisations faulting his government for slow reactions and poor coordination.

Families of the girls also accused his administration of secrecy and politicisation.

Defending himself, Jonathan explained that his initial silence was deliberate, aimed at safeguarding intelligence operations and sensitive investigations.

Since 2014, successive Nigerian governments have secured the release of 189 girls through rescue missions and negotiations.

But dozens are still missing, with survivors struggling with trauma, interrupted education, and social stigma, some returning with children fathered by their captors.

Jonathan concluded by insisting that the rescue of the remaining Chibok girls, along with Leah Sharibu, must remain a top national priority.

Supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have rejected claims by ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, insisting their principal will not participate in the transactional politics that dominate Nigeria’s primaries.

The clarification came after Atiku, now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), told BBC Hausa in an interview on Wednesday that he was ready to contest the party’s presidential ticket but could step aside if defeated by a younger aspirant.

His remarks sparked debates on whether he might eventually abandon the race.
But Obi’s supporters, under the banner of the Obidient Movement, dismissed Atiku’s posture as political “mind games.”

Speaking to DAILY GAZETTE, the group’s National Coordinator and Obi’s former campaign spokesman, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, stressed that Obi would not indulge in dollar-driven delegate inducement.

“I’m happy Atiku is saying what he has in mind. It shows there’s something we can hold him accountable for. But Peter Obi is willing to bring new political ideology into the system,” Tanko said.

“I can say it authoritatively that an Obi will never go into a primary election where he has to buy out the delegates. We know that is the norm in other camps. It is a fact that in Nigeria of today, delegates in every primary are being purchased.”

“It is even in dollars and not naira. And for those of us who want to give hope to the younger generation, who may not have stolen or receive so much money from governors’ purse, how do you encourage them?”

Atiku, meanwhile, maintained that his focus was to build the ADC and attract strong membership before the 2027 elections.

“This is only the beginning. Our priority is to establish the party and gain a strong following,” he said. Asked about stepping aside, he added:

“If I run for office, and a young man defeats me, I will accept that. The party we have joined now prioritises youth and women.”

He dismissed speculation that he might later abandon the ADC, declaring: “No, I’m not known for that. If I say so, then I’ll go that way. I am a man of one Qibla.”

Atiku’s remarks drew swift responses in political circles. Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, argued it would be nearly impossible for anyone to defeat Atiku in a primary contest.

On X, he quipped: “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the hole of a needle than to beat the Waziri in primaries. Party delegates are a special breed of people.”

However, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, later issued a statement clarifying the BBC interview.

He insisted Atiku never said he would withdraw for anyone, but rather emphasized that young people were free to contest and if one emerged through a transparent process, he would support the candidate.

“After a thorough review of both the video and transcripts of the interview, in the original Hausa and the English translation, it is evident that at no point did the former Vice President expressly state, suggest, or even imply that he intends to step down for anyone,” Ibe stated.

Meanwhile, the ADC, launched in July as a coalition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027, has continued its recruitment drive.

Although several politicians have joined, both Obi and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai remain in their parties despite showing interest in the coalition’s activities.

Obi, however, has made it clear that he will not be pressured into leaving the Labour Party for the ADC until he is fully prepared.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has appealed to the National Assembly to fast-track the passage of amendments to Nigeria’s electoral law to enable early preparations for the next general election.

Yakubu made the call on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with the European Union (EU) Election Observation Follow-up Mission to Nigeria, led by Barry Andrews, head of the EU team during the 2023 general election.

He stressed that delays in passing the amended framework could create uncertainty and disrupt the commission’s preparations.

“Uncertainty over the legal framework for the election can unsettle the work of the commission as the election draws nearer,” he warned.

The INEC Chairman explained that the commission had carefully reviewed the EU Election Observation Mission’s report on the 2023 polls, which contained 23 recommendations. Of these, eight were directed to INEC, with one identified as a priority, while the remaining 15, including five key priorities, require action from other stakeholders such as the executive, legislature, judiciary, political parties and civil society.

Yakubu noted that INEC had already taken administrative steps to implement recommendations within its control, while also collaborating with other bodies on reforms requiring joint action.

He added that the commission is awaiting the outcome of the National Assembly’s review of those requiring legislative intervention.

He recalled that in 2019, the EU mission made 30 recommendations, 11 of which were addressed to INEC, three of them designated as priorities.

In comparison, the 2023 report showed a shift, with 65 percent of recommendations directed at actors outside the commission.

Yakubu also emphasized that election observer reports, both national and international, formed part of INEC’s post-election review exercise, which generated 142 reform proposals.

“An election is a process governed by law. Many of your recommendations require a review of our electoral legal framework,” he said, adding that INEC had participated in retreats and consultations with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.

Responding, Andrews said the EU mission’s visit was to evaluate progress in implementing its recommendations.

He acknowledged Nigeria’s steps toward reform and highlighted the challenges of judicial, administrative, and constitutional changes.

“What we are here to do is to review the recommendations that came from the overall mission and were included in the final report published in 2023,” Andrews said.

He expressed optimism that the progress made so far would strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.

The EU delegation particularly commended improvements in transparency, especially in publishing election results from off-cycle governorship polls conducted after the 2023 elections.