Date Published: 02/22/10

Plot to stop Jonathan: Aondoakaa gets $1.5 million from Bayelsa Governor

Michael Aondoakaa

Governor Timipre Sylva

Former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa was allegedly paid $1.5 Million about N250 Million by Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State as part of his contribution to the ‘ stop Goodluck Jonathan’ project from taking over from sick President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Aondoakaa is alleged to have also collected unspecified monies from Hajia Turai Yar’Adua and also masterminded the renewal of the crude oil lifting contracts for some cronies of Yar’Adua in December 2009.

Governor Sylva is a sworn political enemy of the Acting President and both are of the same People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

The Governor, a source told Pointblanknews.com believes Jonathan as Acting President, would be detrimental to his ambition of running for a second term as Governor of Bayelsa State in the 2011 elections. Jonathan is from Bayelsa State.

The Source told Pointblanknews.com that the embattled former Attorney General had requested for the funds from the Governor and others considered anti-Jonathan to boost the propaganda and other machinery aimed at thwarting the emergence of Jonathan as Acting President in the absence of the ailing President Yar’Adua.

The source who would not want to be named disclosed that Aondoakaa allegedly collected the $1.5 Million from Governor Sylva few weeks before he was unceremoniously demoted to Minister for Special Duties in a minor cabinet change.

The embattled Governor of Bayelsa state is said to have been declared wanted by the London Metropolitan Police, over allegation of money laundering. An impeccable source close to the governor, who gave the hint, also disclosed that the governor has been barred from entry into London.

Aondoakaa is said to have collected whooping sums running into millions from other sources for the prosecution of the project of keeping the status quo and protecting the interest of the few members of the Yar’Adua kitchen cabinet.

Shortly after all plans seem to be crumbling and he was demoted, Aondoakaa left Nigeria for Senegal from where he was said to have jetted out to Saudi Arabia to meet with Turai Yar’Adua to get briefing on the next line of action.

The former Minister of Justice is not new to kick backs and demands for payments for shady deals. In November 2008, Aondoakaa allegedly collected about $400,000.00 in bribe from Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji AbdulSamad Rabiu to enable him pen a memo “advising” Yar’Adua on the sale of Delta Steel to Global Steel Holdings Limited (GSH) during the Obasanjo administration. BUA paid Aondoakaa to ensure they were favored in the sale.

Also, Global Steel Holdings was at Aondoakaa’s jugular to refund the $6 million bribe he collected from the company at the Park lane, London Hilton Hotel, mid 2008, to “help convince” Yar’Adua to reverse the revocation of the sale of the Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASC) to Global Steel by the Obasanjo administration.

Sources hinted that shortly after Jonathan became Acting President and Aondoakaa was demoted, the Bayelsa Governor moved to get his money back. In the last few days Silva had been making moves to reconcile with the Acting President.

Sylva had visited former President Obasanjo allegedly seeking the intervention of the former President in brokering peace between him and the Acting President.