APC Campaign Council Slams Atiku: Quit 2027 Presidential Race Now!
The APC Campaign Council has called for Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race following revelations from ICC arbitration. A $500,000 payment to Atiku's former wife, linked to the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, was deemed suspicious by the tribunal. The APC alleges Atiku compromised Nigeria's interests, leading to significant financial liabilities and project delays.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has formally called for the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race. This demand stems from significant revelations that emerged during the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration proceedings in Paris, specifically concerning a $500,000 payment made to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife, amidst the long-standing controversy surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
The call was issued by Dele Alake, spokesman for the APC Campaign Council, following the conclusion of the ICC arbitration between Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The proceedings in Paris investigated claims related to the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla project located in Taraba State. A central point of contention examined by the tribunal was a $500,000 payment made on January 30, 2003, by Leno Adesanya, the promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas through an offshore entity, China Castle Investment Limited.
Despite Adesanya's assertion that the payment was for a foreign-exchange transaction, the ICC tribunal decisively rejected this explanation. The tribunal found insufficient evidence to substantiate it as a genuine foreign-exchange arrangement. Furthermore, the timing of the payment raised suspicions, as it occurred months before the purported award of the Mambilla Build-Operate-Transfer contract to Sunrise on May 22, 2003, highlighting a potential link between the payment and the contract.
The APC Campaign Council, through Alake, escalated its accusations, alleging that Atiku Abubakar actively compromised Nigeria’s national interests for personal gain. Alake claimed that Atiku, then Vice President, collaborated with former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, to facilitate the Mambilla contract with Sunrise, despite documented objections to the deal. This contract, it was noted, was signed during the concluding months of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s initial administration.
According to Alake, these actions have exposed Nigeria to substantial financial liabilities stemming from the prolonged dispute over the Mambilla project. The APC also highlighted Atiku’s decision to refrain from appearing at the Paris proceedings, where his testimony was requested, contrasting it sharply with the appearances made by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari to defend Nigeria’s position. Alake further alleged that Adesanya deliberately