Kí ni gan-an ṣẹlẹ sí $16 bílíọ̀nù tí a pín fún iṣẹ́ agbára ní àsìkò tí o jẹ́ igbákejì ààrẹ?

Did you steal or divert PTDF money while you were Vice President? If not, what exactly happened to the PTDF money? The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) was under my office for direct supervision. In 2005, there was an allegation that a sum of 145 million USD was diverted and misappropriated. In 2006, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and a special Senate Committee launched an investigation into the allegation. As a mark of proving my innocence, I surrendered my immunity and allowed a thorough investigation to be carried out. Both investigative panels did not find any misconduct against me, and that is why there was no prosecution on the matter. With the investigation, it is on record that I am the only Vice President who was investigated while in office, and the entire allegation and trial was to provide an administrative reason to disqualify me from participating in the 2007 presidential election.

The US Senate Committee was never an indictment against me. What happened was that the American Senate flagged high net worth offshore inflow into the United States. These inflows were deposited into accounts belonging to my ex-wife Jennifer Douglas. They are legitimate inflows from the trusteeship, and they are funds meant for the registration of the American University of Nigeria, which was being put together at that time. Because I was in public office at the time the AUN was being registered, the funding that came into registering the university came from companies that held my financial assets as trustees. The congressional investigation did not result in any formal criminal indictment or conviction in any US court or anywhere else. Did you or your family receive $500,000 from anyone connected to the Sunrise Power?

The point that must be made about the Mabilla Power Project is that the tribunal did not flag any incident of me demanding or negotiating for corruption during its proceedings. More importantly, I specifically recused myself from all power project contracts during my term in office because of the methodology being employed for those investments. While I believe in a varied power infrastructure plan, my boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted a centralized power infrastructure powered with gas. So, because of that difference, I did not participate in all power project contract awards during my tenure in office. So, how can I unilaterally award a contract, in this case the Mabilla Power Project, when I was not a party to the negotiations?

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I RECUSED myself from all power project contracts during my term because of a difference with President Obasanjo over the methodology for power infrastructure investments, so I was not party to the Mabilla/Sunrise Power negotiations. On the Senate Committee matter, the flagged inflows went to my ex-wife Jennifer Douglas's accounts and were legitimate funds tied to the American University of Nigeria's registration, not an indictment against me.

I had no role in it. I specifically recused myself from all power project contracts during my term because of a policy disagreement with President Obasanjo over centralised gas-powered infrastructure versus a varied power plan. Since I was not party to those negotiations, I could not have unilaterally awarded the contract.