Embattled former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, has accused his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo of deliberately spreading falsehoods on matters regarding the Mambilla power project.
Agunloye is facing prosecution over an alleged six-billion-dollar fraud linked to thr Mambilla Hydroelectric plant project.
Agunloye,who served as Minister of Power and Steel between 2002 and 2003 under Obasanjo, is facing a seven-count charge brought by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court over the contract.
The former minister, in a statement, accused his former boss of deliberately spreading falsehoods to obscure his own record regarding the Mambilla power project.
Obasanjo was in France to testify in the case brought against Nigeria by contractors on the project. Former President Muhammadu Buhari is also expected to testify.
Agunloye, in the statement, claims the federal government seeks to use him as a scapegoat to portray systemic corruption to the arbitration panel.
He added that his challenges stem from personal conflicts between Obasanjo and two of his associates: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, the owner of Sunrise Power Company.
Agunloye said Obasanjo feigned ignorance of the BOT contract during his presidency and later distorted the facts in public and judicial settings.
“The government seeks to use me as a scapegoat to portray systemic corruption to the arbitration panel and undermine Sunrise’s claims. Challenges stem from personal conflicts between President Obasanjo and two of his associates: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, owner of Sunrise Power Company.
“Obasanjo feigned ignorance of the BOT contract during his presidency and later distorted the facts in public and judicial settings.
“The arbitration in France arose from actions taken by successive administrations, particularly under President Buhari. In 2017, then-Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola bypassed a 2012 agreement signed under President Goodluck Jonathan with Sunrise and awarded the contract to another company.
“Despite advice from the Chinese government to resolve the dispute amicably, the FGN failed to honor two settlement agreements, leading Sunrise to return to arbitration.
“The government is spreading misinformation and using me as a pawn to divert attention from the actions of its own officials and four former presidents who handled the project over two decades.”
