The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over allegations arising from the long-running dispute surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.
The council made the call in a statement issued by its spokesman, Dele Alake, following the recent ruling of an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris, which rejected claims brought against Nigeria by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and its promoter, Leno Adesanya.
The APC council focused on a $500,000 payment made by Adesanya in January 2003 to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife. According to reports on the tribunal proceedings, Adesanya said the payment was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku.
The tribunal examined the circumstances surrounding the payment and noted its proximity to the purported May 22, 2003 award of a Build-Operate-Transfer contract for the Mambilla project. Reports on the ruling said the tribunal found insufficient documentation supporting the explanation given for the payment.
The APC Campaign Council alleged that Atiku and former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, worked together to facilitate the contract despite objections attributed to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“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,” Alake said in the statement.
The council also 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.
The APC Campaign Council said the developments warranted Atiku’s withdrawal from the presidential contest.
“The APC Campaign calls on Abubakar Atiku to do himself a rare honour by bowing out of the presidential race,” the statement said.
It described the $500,000 payment as “just the tip of the iceberg” of what it alleged were further revelations concerning the ADC candidate.
The council also linked the Mambilla dispute to the economic implications of the stalled hydropower project, particularly for Taraba State, arguing that its development would have generated economic benefits for the state and the country.
The ICC tribunal ultimately rejected Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria and ordered the company and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal costs and expenses, reported at about $11.8 million.
The allegations in the APC statement are political claims by the campaign council. Reports on the tribunal proceedings have also noted that the tribunal did not find that Atiku personally received the $500,000 or establish that he directed the payment.