The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council on Friday, September 18, asked Atiku Abubakar to quit the 2027 presidential race over a $500,000 payment linked to the Taraba hydropower project.
The call was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, following the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal’s ruling on the long-running dispute involving Sunrise Power and the Federal Government over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
The council alleged that Atiku and former minister of power Olu Agunloye worked together to facilitate the award of the disputed contract to Sunrise Power during the final days of former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term.
It also alleged that the contract was approved despite Obasanjo’s objection and reservations at the federal executive council meeting.
The APC campaign council further linked the disputed contract to a $500,000 payment made by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife, through an offshore account in January 2003.
According to the statement, the money was transferred in tranches through China Castle Investment to Douglas’ US Citibank account.
The council said the payment and other suspicious transfers totalling $40 million later featured in a United States senate investigation into Atiku and other political figures.
It quoted the senate report, Keeping Foreign Corruption out of the United States: Four Case Histories, as stating that Douglas said her husband sent the money but that she was not familiar with the offshore company that transferred it.
The APC campaign council described the alleged payment as a bribe and accused Atiku of compromising Nigeria’s interests for personal gain.
It said, “Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress candidate, is unfit to be president of Nigeria because he has once again proven he will compromise Nigeria’s best interests for personal, fiduciary gain.”
The council also cited the ICC tribunal’s finding on the timing of the payment and the disputed contract award.
It quoted the tribunal as saying: “There is a close connection in time between the moment the USD 500,000 payment was made to the wife of vice-president Abubakar on 30 January 2003 and the alleged award of the BOT contract to Sunrise on 22 May 2003.”
The council said Atiku failed to appear before the Paris tribunal to give evidence in support of Sunrise Power and Adesanya’s explanation of the payment as a foreign exchange transaction.
According to the statement, the tribunal requested a witness statement from Atiku, but Adesanya maintained that the payment was a foreign exchange transaction.
The council contrasted Atiku’s absence with the appearance of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, who, it said, went to Paris to defend Nigeria against the claims.
The APC campaign council also alleged that Atiku’s actions contributed to the stalled development of the Mambilla hydropower project and exposed Nigeria to substantial financial claims.
It linked the case to Sunrise Power’s arbitration claims against Nigeria arising from the development of the project in Taraba state.
The project was originally conceived as a build-operate-transfer contract for a major hydropower plant, with Sunrise Power later pursuing arbitration over the disputes surrounding the agreement.
The campaign council said the latest arbitration proceedings had again brought scrutiny to the circumstances surrounding the original contract and the $500,000 payment.
It also referenced allegations against Atiku contained in former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s book, My Watch, including claims concerning corruption, disloyalty and the prioritisation of personal interests.
The council called on Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, describing the $500,000 payment as “just the tip of the iceberg” of what it said would be further revelations.
It also urged residents of Taraba state to take note of what it described as the role of the ADC presidential candidate in the controversy surrounding the stalled hydropower project.
The APC campaign council said the project, if developed, would have had significant economic benefits for Taraba State and Nigeria.
The latest ICC arbitration ruling, issued in Paris on Thursday, September 17, rejected Sunrise Power’s claims against Nigeria and ordered Sunrise and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria 75 per cent of its legal fees and expenses incurred in the arbitration.
The tribunal also rejected Sunrise’s claim for a $400 million payment under the settlement agreement and addendum.
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