Sheriff ‘not on Jonathan’s entourage to Chad’

President Goodluck Jonathan has denied that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who has been alleged to be a major financier of Boko Haram, accompanied him to a recent anti-terrorism summit in Chad.

A cross-section of Nigerians had reacted angrily to some pictures tweeted by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, showing Sherrif, Jonathan and President Idriss Debby of Chad, seated together.

Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) released a statement accusing the president of ‘hobnobbing’ with him rather than handing him over for investigation.

However, the presidency replied APC on Thursday, saying the former governor went to Chad on a private visit and only met the president coincidentally.

“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,” read a statement signed by Abati.

“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.

“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.”

Abati said 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,” he said.

“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.”

Jonathan assured Nigerians he would not do anything to undermine the interest of the country. He added that relevant security agencies are probing Sherrif at the moment and the result of the investigation will be made public.

“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,” Abati said.

“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.”