‘Atiku unfit to rule Nigeria’ — APC Campaign Council Cites $500,000 Mambilla Arbitration

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of compromising Nigeria’s interests over the controversial Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.

The council, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Dele Alake, on Friday, also described the former Vice-President as “unfit” for the presidency and called on him to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.

The statement followed the recent ruling by an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris in favour of Nigeria in the long-running dispute involving Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and its promoter, Leno Adesanya.

The tribunal rejected Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria, including a demand for $680 million and a separate claim exceeding $2.7 billion linked to disputes surrounding the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State.

The APC campaign council focused particularly on a $500,000 payment made by Adesanya to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s then-wife, in January 2003.

According to reporting based on the tribunal’s final award, Adesanya acknowledged making the payment through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company he controlled. He told the tribunal that the transaction was part of a foreign-exchange arrangement carried out for Atiku and was unrelated to Sunrise’s Mambilla negotiations.

The APC campaign council, however, alleged that the timing of the payment raised serious questions about the Mambilla contract and Atiku’s role in the process.

The council alleged that Atiku and former Minister of Power Olu Agunloye worked together to secure the contract for Sunrise despite objections from then-President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Federal Executive Council.

The APC statement described the payment as a bribe and accused Atiku of compromising Nigeria’s interests for personal gain.

“Abubakar’s legendary corruption reverberated in Paris at the International Arbitration Tribunal under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce,” the council said.

It further alleged that Atiku enabled the award of a Build-Operate-Transfer contract to a company that lacked experience in hydroelectric power generation.

“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,” the council alleged.

However, the reporting on the arbitration proceedings indicates that the $500,000 payment was disputed. Adesanya said it was a foreign-exchange transaction conducted for Atiku, while Nigeria had alleged that it was connected to the Mambilla contract. The tribunal examined the circumstances surrounding the payment, including the absence of documentation supporting Adesanya’s explanation.

The APC campaign council also criticised Atiku over his absence from the arbitration proceedings, contrasting it with the appearance of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari as witnesses for Nigeria.

The council further referred to criticisms of Atiku contained in Obasanjo’s memoir, My Watch, particularly allegations concerning corruption, loyalty and transparency.

Based on its interpretation of the Mambilla controversy, the APC campaign council urged Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest.

The council argued that the issues surrounding the project raised questions about Atiku’s suitability for the presidency.

The Mambilla project, which has been at the centre of legal and political disputes for years, is intended to generate thousands of megawatts of electricity in Taraba State.

The latest ICC ruling, however, rejected Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria and ordered the company and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal costs, bringing a significant phase of the long-running arbitration dispute to a close.