Obasanjo Spreading Falsehoods About Mambilla Power Project – Agunloye

Former Minister Agunloye has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of spreading misinformation regarding the Mambilla power project, urging Nigerians to focus on facts.

Olu Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, has alleged that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo is intentionally spreading misinformation to obscure his own track record concerning the Mambilla power project.

It was understood that Agunloye, accused of a six-billion-dollar fraud related to the Mambilla Hydroelectric plant, had previously sought assistance from the Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and other notable individuals regarding the issue.

Agunloye, the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is confronting a seven-count charge presented by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in connection with a contract at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Our correspondent discovered that Agunloye held the position of Minister of Power and Steel from 2002 to 2003 during Obasanjo’s administration.

It is reported that Obasanjo served as Nigeria’s civilian president from 1999 to 2007.

However, the former minister accused his previous leader of intentionally disseminating false information to conceal his own track record concerning the Mambilla power project.

In a statement released to the DAILY POST on Friday, Agunloye claimed that the government intends to use him as a scapegoat to demonstrate systemic corruption before the arbitration panel.

He mentioned that his difficulties arise from personal conflicts involving President Obasanjo and two of his acquaintances: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, the owner of Sunrise Power Company.

Agunloye further asserted that Obasanjo pretended to be unaware of the BOT contract during his presidency and subsequently misrepresented the facts in both public and legal contexts.

The government aims to make me a scapegoat in order to illustrate systemic corruption before the arbitration panel and weaken Sunrise’s claims. The challenges arise from personal conflicts involving President Obasanjo and two of his associates: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Leno Adesanya, who owns Sunrise Power Company.

During his presidency, Obasanjo pretended to be unaware of the BOT contract and later misrepresented the facts both publicly and in court.

The arbitration in France stemmed from actions by successive administrations, notably under President Buhari. In 2017, the then-Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola overlooked a 2012 agreement made with Sunrise during President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure and awarded the contract to another company.

Although the Chinese government advised resolving the dispute amicably, the FGN did not uphold two settlement agreements, prompting Sunrise to resume arbitration.

“The government is disseminating false information and using me as a tool to distract from the actions of its officials, along with those of four former presidents who were involved in managing the project over the past twenty years.”