I won’t interfere in Sheriff’s investigation over terrorism

President Goodluck Jonathan has distanced himself from allegations by the opposition that he was hobnobbing with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who is being investigated on charges of sponsoring the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) came after Sheriff showed up as one of the Nigerians who received Jonathan at the airport in N’Djamena at the start of his recent two-day visit to Chad.

But presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, addressed newsmen on Thursday to refute the claim that Sheriff was on the presidential entourage to Chad and could possibly escape investigation on account of such purported closeness to the President.

Abati stressed that the unnecessary hue and cry raised by the APC and “other bigoted critics” of the Jonathan Administration in the wake of the terrorism sponsorship accusation against Sheriff by an Australian, Stephen Davis, was based on the spurious claim that the Senator accompanied Jonathan to Chad.

Abati highlighted the fact Sheriff has personal interests in neighbouring Chad which often keeps him there and that the former governor of Borno State never participated in any of the meetings Jonathan held while in that country.

Besides, the President being fully aware of the accusation, and subsequent investigation of Sheriff by security agencies, would not do anything that could jeopardise the outcome of such probe.

Abati said: “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.

“They included the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, and the Director-General of National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Seidu Mohammed.

“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.?

“The 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.

“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.

?”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.

“The President assures all Nigerians that he has not wilfully 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.”