Buhari Fires Back, Says He Is Not Harassing Jonathan's Family

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, said he was not harassing the family of former President Goodluck Jonathan or any other persons in the current administration’s ongoing fight against corruption as claimed by Jonathan.

He said anybody, who did not have skeleton in his or her cupboard, had nothing to fear about the ongoing anti-graft war.

Punch report that Buhari said this in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, while reacting to an allegation credited toJonathan in a book, ‘Against the Run of Play’, written by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, that his family was being harassed by the present government.

The former President was also quoted to have disagreed with the style being used by the present administration in its anti-graft fight.

But Buhari said given the scale of revelations and recovery of funds so far by the anti-corruption agencies, it was obvious that corruption had “an uninhibited course during our recent past.”

While stating that he was resolute in the fight, the President said time would give the verdict on whose style of fighting corruption ultimately yielded the most dividends.

He said his belief was that national interest must always be placed above personal interest, no matter who was involved.

"We make bold to state unequivocally that President Buhari harasses nobody; he merely allows the law to take its course.

“For the umpteenth time, we say that anybody, without skeleton in his or her cupboard, has nothing to fear about the bared fangs of the anti-corruption initiative. Fear belongs only to those who have abused trust while in office.

“Anybody who feels aggrieved is free to approach the courts to seek redress or justice. President Buhari believes in the rule of law and that is why his campaign against corruption is anchored on that plank.

“With regard to President Buhari’s anti-graft style, which the former President deprecates, given the scale of revelations and recoveries so far by the anti-corruption agencies, it is obvious that corruption had an uninhibited course during our recent past", the statement reads in part.

Meanwhile, Senator Abubakar Girei said Jonathan should not blame anybody for his electoral defeat in the 2015 presidential election.

Girei said the former President was the architect of his failure in the election which ushered in Buhari as President in 2015.

Girei represented Adamawa central senatorial district between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

The former Senator, who is now a member of the All Progressives Congress, said in a statement in Kaduna on Tuesday, that the former President was defeated because “he imposed Boko Haram insurgency, Niger Delta militancy, armed banditry and all forms of insecurity to remain in power.”

According to him, "it is uncharitable for Jonathan to blame his defeat on local and international leaders and the former Independent National Electoral Commission chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

He also berated a former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar, for saying the Federal Government disrespected the former President.