By Tracy Moses
The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over issues arising from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration concerning the disputed Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
The campaign council made the demand in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its spokesman, Dele Alake, following the conclusion of the arbitration proceedings in Paris between Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government.
The long-running dispute centred on the proposed Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State and a disputed Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement involving Sunrise Power.
The ICC tribunal ultimately rejected Sunrise’s claims against Nigeria and ordered the company and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal fees and expenses, amounting to about $11.82 million.
The APC campaign council, however, focused on the tribunal’s examination of a $500,000 payment made by Adesanya on January 30, 2003, to Jennifer Douglas, who was then married to Atiku.
According to the arbitration record, the payment was made through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company controlled by Adesanya, into Douglas’s Citibank account in the United States.
Adesanya told the tribunal that the payment formed part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. The tribunal, however, found that the explanation was not supported by documentary evidence establishing the underlying naira payment, exchange rate, instructions from Atiku or his aides, correspondence relating to the transaction or its commercial purpose. Neither Atiku nor Douglas testified in the proceedings.
The payment was made less than four months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a Build-Operate-Transfer contract for the Mambilla project.
The tribunal also examined Atiku’s involvement in discussions concerning the project, including his role in leading a Nigerian government delegation to China in 2002, where agreements covering power projects, including Mambilla, were discussed.
However, the arbitration findings did not establish that Atiku personally received the $500,000 or that he used his office to secure the Mambilla contract for Sunrise.
The APC campaign council nevertheless relied on the tribunal’s findings to renew its allegations against the former vice-president, accusing him of compromising Nigeria’s interests in connection with the project.
Alake also alleged that Atiku and the then Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, worked together to facilitate the contract with Sunrise.
The campaign council criticised Atiku for not appearing before the tribunal to give evidence, contrasting his absence with the appearances of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari during the proceedings.
“The APC Campaign calls on Abubakar Atiku to do himself a rare honour by bowing out of the presidential race,” Alake said.
He described the $500,000 payment as “just the tip of the iceberg” of what he alleged were further revelations concerning Atiku.
The APC also questioned the circumstances surrounding the purported award of the Mambilla contract.
According to the arbitration record, former President Obasanjo had directed that the project be presented to the Federal Executive Council, while the council subsequently resolved that the relevant memorandum be withdrawn and further proposals explored.
Despite this, Agunloye later wrote to Sunrise purporting to convey government approval for the project.
The tribunal examined the sequence of events surrounding the purported award as part of the broader dispute between Sunrise and the Federal Government.
The APC campaign council further cited criticisms of Atiku contained in former President Obasanjo’s memoir, My Watch, particularly allegations concerning his integrity, loyalty and handling of public responsibilities.
The council said the issues arising from the Mambilla arbitration, together with what it described as Atiku’s broader record, warranted his withdrawal from the 2027 presidential contest.
The Mambilla project has been at the centre of a prolonged dispute between Sunrise Power and the Federal Government.
Sunrise commenced arbitration against Nigeria in 2017, seeking about $2.354 billion over an alleged breach of contract relating to the project. A subsequent settlement between the parties led to a further dispute, with Sunrise seeking $400 million comprising a $200 million settlement sum and a $200 million default payment. The tribunal rejected those claims in its latest award.
Beyond rejecting Sunrise’s claims, the tribunal ordered Sunrise and Adesanya to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal fees and expenses. Of the approximately $11.82 million awarded as recoverable legal costs, $2.5 million is to be recovered from funds held in escrow by the ICC, while the remaining $9.32 million is payable by Sunrise and Adesanya, with interest accruing at 10 per cent annually.
The APC campaign council has now turned the outcome of the arbitration into a political issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election, using the tribunal’s examination of the $500,000 payment and the history of the Mambilla project to challenge Atiku’s candidacy.
The allegations against Atiku remain the position of the APC campaign council. The tribunal’s findings, as reported from its final award, concerned the evidence presented in the arbitration and did not amount to a finding that Atiku personally received the $500,000 payment or that he secured the Mambilla contract through the payment.
The development comes as Atiku, now the ADC presidential candidate, campaigns for the 2027 presidency amid heightened political activity ahead of the election.