Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), a former National Security Adviser (NSA), has denied reports that he discreetly campaigned for President Buhari while serving as President Goodluck Jonathan’s NSA in 2015.
Recently, there were reports that the embattled former NSA worked secretly to enthrone President Buhari in 2015 while he was still serving under the Goodluck Jonathan administration. Dasuki in his statement said as the NSA between 2012 and 2015, he never campaigned for the APC or Buhari, in whatever shape or form before, during, or after the 2015 presidential election.
In his statement, the former NSA said 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 and that he informed ex-President Jonathan just before accepting the appointment to serve as NSA in 2012.
He said “My attention has been drawn to a false report to the effect that I discreetly campaigned for Buhari and his party, APC, while I was serving as President Jonathan’s National Security Adviser. 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 is, unfortunately, the norms today. The truth is that I was involved in an attempt at forging an alliance between the ACN, ANPP, and CPC among others prior to the 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 it clear to President Jonathan that I had relationships with General Buhari of CPC, Tinubu of ACN and 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 or its candidate, Buhari, in whatever shape or form before, during or after the 2015 presidential election. I never worked at cross purposes with my boss, President Jonathan, as being recklessly insinuated by mischief makers on their blogs and social media.”