The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of compromising Nigeria’s interests over the controversial Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project. The campaign council made the allegation in a statement by its spokesman, Dele Alake, on Friday, September 18, following the……
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of compromising Nigeria’s interests over the controversial Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
The campaign council made the allegation in a statement by its spokesman, Dele Alake, on Friday, September 18, following the recent ruling by an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris on the long-running dispute involving Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.
The ICC tribunal ruled in favour of Nigeria, rejecting claims brought by Sunrise over the Mambilla project and also ordering the company and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, to reimburse Nigeria for part of its legal costs.
The APC campaign council, however, focused on the tribunal’s examination of a $500,000 payment made by Adesanya in January 2003 to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife, shortly before the disputed Mambilla contract was awarded.
The council alleged that the payment was connected to the award of the Build-Operate-Transfer contract for the project and accused Atiku, who was Vice-President at the time, of having a role in the process.
....: Atiku, ADC Demand Transparent Probe Into Death Of 37 Illegal Miners In NSCDC Custody
“Abubakar’s legendary corruption reverberated in Paris at the International Arbitration Tribunal under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC),” the statement said.
The council alleged that Atiku and former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, “worked in cahoots to sign an illegal power contract with Sunrise.”
According to the statement, the contract was signed in the final months of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term despite objections raised at the Federal Executive Council.
The campaign council also linked the $500,000 payment to the contract, alleging that the money was transferred through an offshore company, China Castle Investment, to Douglas’s Citibank account.
The ICC award examined the payment and the explanation provided by Adesanya that it was part of a foreign-exchange transaction for Atiku. However, reporting based on the tribunal’s award said the tribunal found no documentary evidence or testimony from Atiku or Douglas corroborating that explanation. The tribunal also stopped short of finding that Atiku had actually used his official position to facilitate the award of the Mambilla contract.
The APC campaign council nevertheless described the transaction as evidence of wrongdoing, alleging that Atiku had compromised Nigeria’s interests.
“By collecting a $500,000 bribe from Leno Adesanya to approve a Build-Operate-Transfer contract to a company with no scintilla of experience in hydro power generation, Atiku has proven he is one of the enablers of local and international predatory and exploitative entities out to defraud our country,” it said.
The council further criticised Atiku for not appearing before the tribunal to give evidence, contrasting this with the participation of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari in the proceedings.
It also cited comments attributed to Obasanjo in his memoir, My Watch, in which the former president accused Atiku of corruption, disloyalty and putting personal interests ahead of national interests.
The APC campaign council subsequently called on Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.
“The APC Campaign calls on Abubakar Atiku to do himself a rare honour by bowing out of the presidential race,” the statement said, adding that the $500,000 payment was “just the tip of the iceberg of the revelations to come about his monumental corruption.”
The council also criticised Atiku over the stalled Mambilla project, arguing that the delay had denied Taraba State and Nigeria the economic benefits expected from the hydropower development.
The statement was issued after the ICC tribunal rejected Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria. The tribunal also dismissed the company’s demand for $400 million under a settlement agreement and ordered Sunrise and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal fees and expenses, amounting to about $11.82 million.
