You’re spreading lies, falsehoods over Mambilla power project – Former Minister slams Obasanjo

You’re spreading lies, falsehoods over Mambilla power project – Former Minister slams Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been accused by former Minister of Power and Steel Olu Agunloye with deliberately disseminating lies to divert attention away from his own performance on the Mambilla power project.

Agunloye’s remarks coincide with his ongoing legal dispute over a fraud case involving the Mambilla Hydroelectric Plant that is worth billions of dollars.

Agunloye, currently the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is facing seven charges filed by the Nigerian government related to the controversial project.

The case, brought before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, alleges that Agunloye was involved in a $6 billion fraud during his tenure as Minister of Power and Steel from 2002 to 2003 under the Obasanjo administration.

In a statement released on Friday, Agunloye claimed that the former president was deliberately distorting facts to obscure his own involvement in the Mambilla project.

He argued that Obasanjo’s public statements and actions were designed to deflect blame and protect his own legacy concerning the power project.

Agunloye also expressed frustration over what he perceived as efforts to use him as a scapegoat to perpetuate the narrative of widespread corruption, particularly in relation to the project’s arbitration process.

He suggested that the dispute was rooted in personal conflicts between Obasanjo and key figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, the owner of Sunrise Power Company, who he claimed were part of the broader issue.

Furthermore, Agunloye accused Obasanjo of feigning ignorance regarding the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract during his presidency, only to later misrepresent the facts in both public statements and legal proceedings.

Agunloye’s accusations add another layer to the ongoing saga of the Mambilla project, which has been marred by years of delays and controversy.

“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.”