Former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of spreading falsehoods to obscure his involvement in the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
Agunloye, who served under Obasanjo from 2002 to 2003, is currently facing a seven-count charge brought by the Federal Government over allegations of fraud in the $6 billion Mambilla project contract.
In a statement released on Friday, Agunloye, now the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), alleged that Obasanjo is deliberately distorting facts about the project.
Naija News reports that he also accused Obasanjo of feigning ignorance about the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract signed during his administration, saying, “Obasanjo later distorted the facts in public and judicial settings to shield himself from scrutiny.”
Agunloye further suggested that his current legal troubles stem from personal conflicts involving Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Leno Adesanya, the owner of Sunrise Power Company.
He said, “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 honour 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.”