The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has faulted African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over a $500,000 payment made to his then-wife, Jennifer Douglas, in connection with the long-running dispute over Nigeria’s Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
The council’s criticism followed proceedings before an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris concerning claims brought by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, over the stalled 3,960-megawatt Mambilla project in Taraba State.
In a statement issued on Friday, the APC Campaign Council alleged that the payment raised questions about Atiku’s role in the award of a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract to Sunrise in 2003, when Atiku was vice-president.
The council said Adesanya, through an offshore company identified as China Castle Investment Limited, transferred $500,000 to Douglas on January 30, 2003, months before the purported award of the Mambilla contract to Sunrise.
The ICC tribunal examined the circumstances surrounding the payment during the arbitration proceedings. It noted the close timing between the $500,000 transfer and the alleged award of the BOT contract.
Adesanya reportedly maintained that the payment was related to a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. However, the tribunal found that the explanation was not supported by sufficient contemporaneous documentation establishing the underlying transaction.
The tribunal also noted that neither Atiku nor Douglas appeared as witnesses to provide evidence supporting the explanation for the payment.
The APC Campaign Council, however, went further in its interpretation of the transaction, describing the $500,000 as a bribe and alleging that Atiku and former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, worked together to facilitate the contract.
The council alleged that the contract was signed during the final days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term despite objections and reservations attributed to Obasanjo and the Federal Executive Council.
It also accused Atiku of compromising Nigeria’s interests and exposing the country to substantial financial liabilities arising from the subsequent dispute over the project.
The ICC arbitration was initiated after the Mambilla project failed to proceed under the disputed arrangement, with Sunrise and Adesanya pursuing claims against the Federal Government.
The tribunal ultimately rejected Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria and ordered the claimants to reimburse a substantial portion of Nigeria’s legal costs.
The ruling has been welcomed by the Federal Government, which said the decision removed a major legal obstacle to the development of the Mambilla project.
The APC Campaign Council said the outcome of the arbitration and the evidence surrounding the $500,000 payment raised questions about Atiku’s suitability to seek the presidency.
It called on the ADC candidate to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and said the controversy surrounding the Mambilla contract warranted further public scrutiny.
The council also urged residents of Taraba State to consider the implications of the prolonged dispute for the development of the Mambilla project and its potential economic benefits to the state.
