A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has stated that he never accused billionaire businessman Femi Otedola of subsidy fraud.
Recall that Otedola had announced that he ordered his lawyers to file a ₦1 billion libel suit against Sani over claims that he was involved in the subsidy scam in Goodluck Jonathan’s regime.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Monday, Sani clarified that he holds no grudges against Otedola, adding that he only spoke because he served under the administration of Jonathan.
He insisted that Otedola’s comment unfairly singled out the Jonathan administration.
Sani said, “Let me start by saying that I don’t have any grudge or any problem with him. My major reason why I intervened and I responded is because I served under the Jonathan administration and, being a very passionate member of them, I’m very proud of the achievements and the attainments that President Jonathan has made in various sectors
“Having said this, I would say I would have not responded to Mr. Otedola’s comment if not for the fact that he introduced politics into the matter by singling out only President Jonathan as the person under him that two trillion was lost. Now, he singled him out from a retinue…from Obasanjo up to date, subsidy exists. Subsidy scams exist.
“I never said that there was no subsidy scam. But why single out President Goodluck Jonathan? I think the general public will understand that perhaps because President Jonathan has been linked with making moves for re-entry into the political space, the aim is to cast aspersions on him and put a smear on his name.”
Sani explained that his decision to respond was motivated by loyalty to the administration in which he served.
“Since I have been part and parcel of that administration and it was President Jonathan who appointed me, there was no reason why I should not respond to such allegations. However, the response I read today, I think, is misconceived and misdirected because I said he enjoyed privileges under President Jonathan. And those privileges I mentioned are numerous.”
He further said, “During President Jonathan’s period as a major player in the corporate world, he enjoyed quite a lot of advantages which ordinarily he would not have enjoyed. I said, for instance, although he started enjoying the 90 per cent or over 90 per cent, which he has also agreed that he was enjoying, government policy could have shifted to reduce his control of the diesel import into the country to a lesser percentage.
“That is a privilege he has been able to enjoy because he’s a friend of President Goodluck Jonathan and a member of his economic team that are supposed to give him advice in various areas of the economy, especially since they are players in the game. Now, again, I insist, I said he was spotlighted, I did not say he was indicted.”
The PDP chieftain further clarified that Otedola’s name had appeared in official probes but stressed that it did not amount to guilt.
Sani said, “I said he was spotlighted in both two comments, the report of Ike Ekweremadu and the report of Farouk Lawan. Now, generally, Nigerians will understand that Farouk Lawan was taken to prison because of a sting operation. The sting operation was when he went to collect money, marked money, from Mr Femi Otedola’s space, and the DSS arrested him, and he was charged in court and taken to prison.
“But the point is, why did we throw away the baby with the bathwater? The question I put forward, which I said is debatable in my statement, is what was the reason why Farouk Lawan was looking for a bribe from Mr Femi Otedola? Why was he looking for money?
“Why does he have that sense of entitlement that he must be given money? And why was money arranged to be given to him if there was nothing? So something must have happened that Nigerians don’t know, which I said Nigerians ought to know.”
Speaking further, he said, “Look, there is nowhere in my statement, if you read it very clearly, where I said Femi Otedola benefited from subsidy fraud. There was nowhere in my statement. My statements were mere conjectures, asking questions as to what happened and what transpired.
“And why did it transpire the way it transpired? Go deep into my statement. My statement never mentioned that Femi Otedola benefited or he was indicted by any report or whatever for petroleum fraud. I never said so.
“So, if the argument is about politics, if he ventures into politics, which is what he was trying to do, to indict Jonathan and bring it… Now, two trillion is a lot of money within the Nigerian context.
“And he will do a lot, which is what I went further to say. He will do a lot if he helps name names and brings out those people who actually did the fraud, so that Nigeria will benefit from that two trillion.”
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