Amid the raging controversy over the manner some prominent were dragged to a Paris arbitration court, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) has explained why he would not give evidence in the suit instituted against the federal government of Nigeria by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Ltd.
Recall that the President bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the weekend applauded prominent Nigerians who testified at the arbitration.
He was reacting to a media report that he forced his immediate predecessor, Mùhammadù Buhari, to appear and testify in Paris.
However in his reaction to a publication Aondoakaa, the former Chief Law Officer of the Federation said he was not at any time intimidated or harassed by the Federal Government from giving evidence in the ongoing Sunrise Power arbitration battle.
President Tinubu’s office in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, had said concerning testifiers in Paris, “While respecting the confidentiality of the proceedings, we wish to state categorically that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not forced anyone to testify for or to refrain from testifying against Nigeria.
“All the eminent Nigerians involved in Nigeria’s defence are doing so willingly and out of sheer patriotism and conviction.
“President Tinubu and the entire country are grateful to them,” concluded the statement.
But apparently reacting to insinuations, especially the media reports that he withdrew support for the Energy Company, the former AGF held that it was erroneous for anyone or group to make allegations that he was intimidated not to give evidence in the suit in Paris, France.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja, Aondoakaa SAN, said the publications were a figment of imagination of masterminds of the reports.
The statement was titled; “Re: Decision of Micheal Kaase Aondoakas SAN Not To Testify in the Arbitration of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Ltd Vs Federal Government of Nigeria”.
“I hereby state categorically that the said narrative as contained in the said viral reports on the social media space are false and does not in any way reflect the true state of the matter.
“The decision not to testify at the arbitration proceedings is a personal and voluntary decision made by me.
“I hereby state categorically that at no time whatsoever was I ever approached by any official or representative of the Federal Government of Nigeria or any other person whatsoever on the issue of the Sunrise Power Arbitration, neither was I at any time or in any way or in any manner intimidated by any person or Government official with regards to the said arbitration as insinuated in the said viral publications” Chief Aondoakaa clarified.
The former AGF explained that his witness statement was made as an independent witness in response to the personal references made to him in the processes at the arbitration.
According to Aondoakaa, “since there was no evidence placed before the arbitral tribunal in respect of those references to my person and since the matter spanned several Attorneys General of the Federation, of which I am just one, I felt I was not a material witness and my testimony would not be a conclusive position of the facts of the matter therefore not necessary”.
He added that the clarifications have become necessary in order to set the records straight so that the public would not be misled by the said erroneous narratives as conveyed in the aforestated viral publications.
