The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has called on Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over allegations linked to the disputed Mambilla hydropower project.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC campaign council, the ruling party accused Atiku of compromising Nigeria’s interests in connection with the project.
The APC based its position on proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris involving Sunrise Power, Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government.
The tribunal recently ruled in favour of Nigeria, dismissing Sunrise Power’s claims and ordering the company and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal costs.
APC Links $500,000 Payment to Mambilla Project
According to details contained in the ICC tribunal’s final award and reviewed by TheCable, Adesanya told the tribunal that a $500,000 payment made to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife, in January 2003 was part of a foreign-exchange transaction conducted for the former vice-president.
The payment was made on January 30, 2003, less than four months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a build-operate-transfer contract for the Mambilla hydropower project through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company controlled by Adesanya.
The APC campaign council said the timing of the transaction raised questions because it occurred while negotiations over the Mambilla project were ongoing.
It alleged that Atiku, who was vice-president at the time, and Olu Agunloye, then minister of power, worked together to facilitate the project despite objections from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The APC Campaign calls on Abubakar Atiku to do himself a rare honour by bowing out of the presidential race,” the statement said.
The campaign council described the $500,000 payment as “just the tip of the iceberg” of what it claimed were further revelations concerning the ADC presidential candidate.
It also accused Atiku of placing personal interests above Nigeria’s national interest and enabling what it described as predatory interests seeking to profit from the country’s resources.
APC Raises Other Campaign Issues
The APC campaign council also criticised Atiku’s proposal for a production subsidy on petroleum products, linking the policy position to the wider political contest ahead of the 2027 election.
It urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Taraba State, to take note of the history surrounding the Mambilla project and its stalled development.
The campaign council maintained that the findings and circumstances surrounding the arbitration justified its call for Atiku to withdraw from the presidential contest.
Backstory: How the Mambilla Dispute Started
The dispute dates back to 2003, when Sunrise Power expressed interest in developing the Mambilla hydropower project under a build-operate-transfer arrangement.
Sunrise later relied on a letter issued by Agunloye on May 22, 2003, as evidence that it had been awarded the project.
Obasanjo subsequently disputed the minister’s authority to commit the Federal Government to the agreement. He said he had directed Agunloye to withdraw the proposal from the Federal Executive Council.
In 2023, Obasanjo said he had not approved the contract and questioned how Agunloye could have committed the government to a $6 billion project without his authorisation.
Sunrise commenced arbitration proceedings against Nigeria in 2017, seeking about $2.35 billion over an alleged breach of the 2003 agreement.
