Vanguard News
Similarly, the EFCC has firmly shied away from making any form of comment on the matter, as efforts made to get the reaction of the agency were rebuffed by those saddled with the responsibility.
A top Presidency official had refused to confirm the resignation or otherwise of Ojulari, arguing that it was not the duty of the President’s office to speak for the NNPC.
The official said he would not make further comment on the matter and advised our reporter to seek out whatever information they needed from the oil company.
While that remains the situation with external sources, the NNPC itself has deliberately refused to clear the air on the raging Ojulari resignation controversy.
This is so because more than 24 hours after reports emerged that Ojulari had resigned, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, had remained silent on the status of its chief executive.
It’s all politics of 2027 —Source
A source, who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, explained that Ojulari’s ordeal has more of a political colouration.
The source further explained that though the President does not have any issue with the embattled NNPCL boss, some “people around the President do not want to take chances and so, they want him out.”
According to the source, Ojulari’s problem started over his closeness to Bashir-Haske, Atiku’s son-in-law.
Abdullahi Bashir-Haske, the founder and group Managing Director of AA&R, is married to the daughter of Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president.
The source said: “It is all politics of 2027. They see Bashir-Haske’s closeness to Ojulari as a threat to them in 2027 because they are guessing that if Bashir-Haske is getting contracts from NNPCL, it automatically means that Atiku, who is gearing up for 2027, will be a beneficiary.
‘’From what I know, Ojulari is seen more as a northerner. He has lived more of his life in the north, he attended ABU Zaria and his first language is Hausa. Tinubu does not have any issues with him (Ojulari), but those around him are not comfortable with such a development.
‘’They do not want to take chances at all; that is why they are calling for his removal.”
Since the online reports of Ojulari’s alleged resignation broke, all inquiries to the staff of the department have gone unanswered.
Over the years, access to the NNPC Towers, which house both the company and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, has become increasingly restricted to journalists.
Ojulari keeps mum
Attempts to speak with Ojulari did not yield any result as he did not take his calls or respond to WhatsApp messages yesterday, when Vanguard reached out to him repeatedly for comments.
But a source in the NNPCL, who pleaded anonymity because he was not permitted to speak, said: “Bashir Bayo Ojulari has not resigned as reported in some online media. I am not supposed to speak to the media, and we don’t have a spokesman yet.
“Let me say that it is a sad situation, which has affected our operations. Ojulari was just settling down to work.
‘’Now, everyone has been distracted. I hope we can put it behind us so that the normal environment can be created for work.”