I Did Not Work At Cross Purposes With President Jonathan – Dasuki Says

…Says he did not campaign for Buhari, APC in 2015

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), has denied ever campaigning for President Muhammadu Buhari or the All Progressives Congress (APC) in whatever shape or form before, during or after the 2015 presidential election.

Dasuki said that he was only involved in the unsuccessful attempt at forging an alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), prior to the 2011 elections.

This were contained in a statement he issued on Sunday in which he explained that his involvement in that political process ended after the elections of 2011.

Dasuki pointedly denied and debunked the media report credited to former chieftain of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), Dr. Bashir Kurfi, who said that the former National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan introduced President Buhari to Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu for the successful merger of the All Progressives Congress.

In the words of Dasuki; “At first, I found the report too ridiculous to take serious but on second thought, I felt it would be appropriate not only to debunk it but to put the records straight especially in view of politics of mischief and character assassination that are unfortunately the norms today.”

Dasuki explained that at the point of accepting the appointment to serve as NSA in 2012, he made it clear to President Jonathan that he had a relationship with (then) General Muhammadu Buhari of CPC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu of ACN and Chief Ogbonnaya Onu of ANPP, among other opposition elements, and that his appointment would not cause him to sever the relationship.

According to him; “I however assured President Jonathan that I would never betray him. As a man of honour, I kept to my words. I never worked at cross purposes with my boss, President Goodluck Jonathan as being recklessly insinuated by mischief makers on their blogs and social media”.

Dr Kurfi, a university lecturer, in the interview he granted The Sun Newspapers said that Colonel Sambo Dasuki among others introduced General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) to the then Leader of ACN, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu on the planned political alliance prior to the 2011 presidential election.

Kurfi explained that together with Dasuki, Adamu Adamu, current Minister of Education; Kabir Yusuf, the publisher of Daily Trust; and Wada Maida, former Chief Executive of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); they visited the APC National Leader (presently) in Lagos, before the 2011 polls.

“At first I found the report too ridiculous to take serious but on a second thought, I felt it would be appropriate not only to debunk it but to put the records straight especially in view of politics of mischief and character assassination that are unfortunately the norms today.

“The truth is that I was involved in an attempt at forging an alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) among others prior to 2011 elections which was not successful. My involvement in that political process ended after the elections of 2011.

“At the point of accepting the appointment to serve as National Security Adviser (NSA in 2012, I made clear to President Jonathan that I had relationships with General Muhammadu Buhari of CPC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu of ACN and Chief Ogbonnaya Onu of ANPP among others opposition elements and that my appoint would not cause me to sever the relationship. I, however, assured him that I would never betray him. As a man of honour, I kept to my words.

“Therefore, as NSA between 2012 and 2015, I never campaigned for APC nor its candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, in whatever shape or form before, during or after the 2015 presidential election.

“I never worked at cross purposes with my boss, President Goodluck Jonathan as being recklessly insinuated by mischief makers on their blogs and social media,” Dasuki said.