Umar Sani Defends Jonathan, Says Otedola’s Subsidy Allegation ‘Misconceived, Misdirected’

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has defended former President Goodluck Jonathan over allegations of subsidy fraud, insisting that businessman Femi Otedola’s comments unfairly singled out the Jonathan administration.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Monday, 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.”

He added that “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,” he said.

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, his 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 percent or over 90 percent, 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 did not amount to guilt.

“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 he went to collect money, marked money, from Mr. Femi Otedola’s space and the DSS arrested him and he was charged to court and he was 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 that Farouk Lawan, what was the reason why Farouk Lawan was looking for 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.”

Sani also rejected claims that he accused Otedola of subsidy fraud.

“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 will help name names and bring out those people who actually did the fraud so that Nigeria will benefit from that two trillion.”

(Arise Tv)