Ex-AGF Adoke names Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan & others in $1.6b Malabu Deal

Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke has said claimed that three former Presidents endorsed the Settlement Agreement on the controversial $1.6bn Malabu Oil Block.

They are Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umaru Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Adoke said none of the three Presidents has disowned the agreement.

He also listed ex-ministers who played key roles in resolving the conflict on the oil block. They are;

Former AGF and Minister of Justice Bayo Ojo, former Minister of Petroleum Resources King Edmund Daukoru; ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and former Minister of Finance Olusegun Aganga.

He said the recent actions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) tended to impugn the Settlement Agreement.

He insisted that the Ministry of Justice, which he superintended, only facilitated the Settle Agreement.

The EFCC has filed charges against Adoke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Dan Etete, a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar and eight others over alleged $801million bribe in respect of the auctioning of Malabu Oil Block.

The others are Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited; Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited; ENI SPA; Malabu Oil and Gas Limited; Ralph Wetzels(ex- Director of SNEPCO), Casula Roberto(Italian) whilst being the Director of AGIP; Pujatti Stefeno(Italian) while being the Director in AGIP; and Burafato Sebastiano(Italian).

But Adoke, in a March 6 letter to Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), asked the AGF to determine whether he had committed any offence for carrying out presidential approvals.

He asked Malami to tell Nigerians whether his predecessors in office from 2006 to May 2015 acted in the national interest when they brokered and implemented the Settlement Agreement.

He urged Malami to clarify to Nigerians the import of Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) with respect to the vesting of all the Executive powers of the Federation in the President to exercise by himself and or through his Ministers and appointees.

Adoke insisted that the Federal Government and its agencies and officials only served as facilitators of the Settlement Agreement.

Adoke faulted the filing of separate charges against him by EFCC and asked Malami to speak out.

He said: “As the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, you have a public duty to speak on this matter so that Nigerians would know whether I acted mala fide or abused my office in the entire transaction leading to the final implementation of the Settlement.”

The EFCC has however insisted that Adoke benefited financially, running to millions of Dollars.