Barely 24 hours after the offer of a ceasefire
by Boko Haram, there were indications
yesterday that the Presidency was weighing
the conditions set for ceasefire by the sect.
President Goodluck Jonathan may also consult
widely if the sect is serious in holding dialogue
with the Federal Government.
But the Congress for Progressive Change
queried the choice of Buhari as one of the
leaders recommended for peace talks with
Boko Haram and described it as a gambit.
A highly-placed source, who spoke in
confidence, said: “The Presidency is still
studying the ceasefire conditions reeled out
by Boko Haram. The government is weighing
these terms on whether they are acceptable to
it or not.
“There is nothing wrong in having dialogue
with the sect, but the conditions from Boko
Haram deserve careful study.
“The naming of a former Head of State, Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari and others as negotiators
is a key challenge to both parties if the
dialogue is to hold at all.
“No one knows the mindset of Buhari on this
offer because he has not been attending the
Council of State sessions.
“Also, the disposition of Saudi Arabia to serve
as a facilitator of the talks is another
diplomatic issue. Being a moderate state, we
are not sure if it will want to shoulder such a
responsibility.
“So, a lot of issues are woven around the
peace conditions tabled by Boko Haram.”
Responding to a question, the source added:
“The President is going to consult widely
before the government comes out with a
position on these conditions.
“You have to realise that it takes two to
dialogue. Before we meet at peace table, the
Federal Government may also make its views
known on a few things in order to have
smooth talks.”
The source said the “Office of the National
Security Adviser which had been in touch with
the sect might still coordinate the peace talks
after the Federal Government has come up
with its own modalities or steps.”
On its part, the Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC) through its National Publicity
Secretary, Engr. Rotimi Fashakin, said Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari was never directly or
indirectly involved with any insurrection or
insurgency.
It queried the choice of Buhari as one of the
leaders recommended for peace talks with
Boko Haram and described it as a gambit.
In a statement in Abuja, the CPC said: “Our
attention in the Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC) has been drawn to widely
publicised news that our National Leader,
General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) has been
appointed to take part in a Boko Haram/
Federal Government parley.
“As a party, we are convinced that this is the
latest gambit in the desire of this organically
corrupt PDP-led Federal Government in
diverting the attention of the unsuspecting
Nigerian public from the ongoing massive
looting of their common patrimony.
“Without any scintilla of equivocation, General
Muhammadu Buhari has never been directly
or remotely connected with any insurrection or
insurgency against the Nigerian nation and
her people.
“He remains the quintessential patriot that
continues to magnetise the very best across
the ethno-religious boundaries within the
Nigerian nation-space.
“As we have stated in an earlier
communication, the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), as a corporate entity, is the harbinger of
the insecurity travails of the Nigerian people
for the sole reason of ensuring perpetuity in
governance.
“From recollection of events of the last two
years, there are three variants of the Boko-
Haram: the original Boko-Haram that is at
daggers drawn with the Nigerian authority for
the extra-judicial killing of their leader; the
criminal Boko-Haram that is involved in all
criminality for economic reasons and, of
course, the most lethal of all, the political
Boko-Haram-which the PDP-led Federal
Government represents.
“The President, Dr. Good-luck Jonathan, had
once alerted the nation to the ubiquitous
presence of Boko-Haram in his government- a
fact aptly amplified by his erstwhile National
Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi.
“Undoubtedly, the latest revelations by the
State Security Services (SSS) on the
complicity of the top echelon of the PDP
leadership in Boko Haram activities aptly bear
testimony of the noxious subterfuge to
extirpate the essence of our nationhood.
“Finally, we call on all Nigerians to reject this
latest deceptive ploy by this PDP-led
government and demand for more
transparency in the governance of the nation.
As a party, we remain unfazed by the cheap
propagandist endeavours of the PDP, knowing
that Nigerians are the best judges of the
under-performance of this regime. God bless
Nigeria.”

Source: thenationonlineng.net/new/news/govt-ponders-buharis-choice-as-mediator/