Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said the statement attributed to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, that opposition voices on the OPL 245 matter were driven by self-interest rather than patriotism, is an attempt to divert attention from the substantive legal and factual issues surrounding the so-called “Resolution” of the oil block dispute.
Atiku, in a statement issued by his media office, denied any interest in the oil block, stating that his intervention is guided solely by the public interest and the need to uphold the rule of law.
According to him, his position is grounded in publicly available documents, including but not limited to the pre-action notice issued by Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to the relevant authorities, which raises serious legal objections to the purported settlement.
Atiku stated that these documents clearly indicated that key stakeholders have disputed the legitimacy of the claimed resolution, because they were neither consulted nor involved in any negotiation process.
“It is therefore not only disingenuous but deeply troubling for the Attorney-General to dismiss legitimate concerns – rooted in documented legal processes – ‘as self-interest.’
“In any constitutional democracy, raising questions based on verifiable records is not opposition – it is responsibility, which the ruling APC has clearly departed from,” he said.
The former vice president stated the issues at stake are too serious “for political spin,” adding that the OPL 245 is not a mere talking point but “one of the most consequential oil assets in Nigeria, long entangled in complex litigation and international scrutiny.”
He told Minister Fagbemi that what Nigerians deserve is transparency, adherence to due process, and respect for ongoing judicial proceedings, and not premature declarations of victory or attempts to silence scrutiny with cheap and weak propaganda.
“We wish to state for the record that Atiku Abubakar does not have an interest in OPL 245, has never had an interest in the contentious OPL 245 and will never have an interest in OPL 245.
“No amount of rhetoric can erase the existence of pending legal disputes or invalidate concerns already raised by affected parties through formal legal channels,” Atiku said.
He pointed out that the Attorney-General’s response underscores the very need for greater openness and accountability on this matter.
“Nigeria cannot build credibility, locally or internationally, by ignoring documented facts or dismissing legitimate questions.
The rule of law must remain supreme,” Atiku added, and challenged the Attorney-General to address the substantive issues he raised in his earlier intervention instead of resort to propaganda.
