Sambo Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser (NSA), has denied campaigning for Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 presidential election, in his official capacity.
Dasuki issued the rebuttal in a statement he personally signed on Sunday in reaction to comments attributed to Bashir Kurfi, a former chieftain of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
Kurfi had in an interview published by a national newspaper last month said Dasuki among other introduced Buhari, the leader of the CPC, to Bola Tinubu, leader of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), prior to the 2011 presidential election.
But the former NSA explained that Kurfi’s comments in the interview regarding his (Dasuki) working relationship with his principal at the time, former president, was mischaracterized by some bloggers.
The retired army colonel said he was only involved in the unsuccessful attempt at forging an alliance between the ACN, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) prior to the 2011 elections.
The statement read: “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.”
Dasuki said he made it clear to President Jonathan upon his appointment as NSA in 2012 that he had a relationship with Buhari, Tinubu, and Ogbonnaya Onu of ANPP, among other opposition elements, and that his appointment would not cause him to sever the relationship.
“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,” the statement read.
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