Presidency denies knowledge of Boko Haram, govs’ talk

The Presidency has denied knowledge of any ongoing dialogue between members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, and a delegation of the Northern State Governors’ Forum.
It said as far President Goodluck Jonathan was concerned, members of the sect remained faceless since nobody had so far approached him on their behalf.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday.
Gulak was responding to a statement credited to the sect in which its members took exception to Jonathan’s statement during his recent state visit to Yobe and Borno states that members of the sect were “ghosts” and so he could not grant them amnesty as recommended by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III.
The sect, in a statement by Sheikh Muhammad Abdul’aziz, was reported to have said its members could not have been ghosts or a faceless association because they had been in dialogue and consultation with the Borno State Government and a delegation of the Northern State Governors’ Forum.
But Gulak told our correspondent that the President was not aware of such negotiation.
He challenged any governor currently talking with members of the sect to approach Jonathan and brief him on the ongoing talks.
He said as far as the President was concerned, until somebody approaches him to represent the sect,the report of ongoing talks was a speculation which Jonathan could not act on.
He said, “The President is not aware of any governor either from the North, South, East or West negotiating with Boko Haram.
“Let any governor that is negotiating with the sect come to the President and tell him that he is representing them and that he wants amnesty for them.
“As it is now, no governor has come forward to say that, so it is just a speculation and the President cannot work on mere speculation.”