Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has rejected claims by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) linking him to corruption in the disputed Mambilla power project.
Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accused the APC of misrepresenting the outcome of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
The controversy followed the tribunal’s recent decision rejecting claims by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited against Nigeria. The tribunal also ordered Sunrise and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal expenses.
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Responding to the APC PCC, Atiku argued that the arbitration did not find him guilty of receiving a bribe or abusing his office in connection with the Mambilla project.
He said the APC was wrongly assuming that because he served as vice president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he should automatically be held responsible for every decision taken by the administration.
According to Atiku, he was not part of the technical process that assessed proposals for the Mambilla project, did not sit on the procurement panel and did not award the contract.
He challenged the APC to identify any section of the tribunal’s award where it stated that he received a $500,000 bribe, directed former Power Minister Olu Agunloye to award the contract to Sunrise, abused his office or participated in a corrupt conspiracy.
“There is no such finding,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also addressed the $500,000 payment made by Adesanya to Jennifer Douglas, his former wife, in January 2003. The payment was made through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company controlled by Adesanya.
Adesanya told the tribunal that the money represented a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. However, the tribunal rejected that explanation, noting that there was no supporting documentation showing the underlying naira payment, exchange rate, instructions or commercial purpose of the transaction.
Atiku maintained that the tribunal’s rejection of Adesanya’s explanation was not the same as a finding that he received a bribe.
He also disputed claims that he refused to appear before the tribunal, saying he was not a party to the arbitration and did not testify during the proceedings.
The arbitration was between Sunrise Power, Adesanya and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Atiku noted that the tribunal dismissed Sunrise’s claims and imposed no damages or costs personally against him.
Atiku further challenged the APC to publish the specific portions of the tribunal’s award that allegedly establish its claims against him.
He said the issue should be determined by the contents of the tribunal’s record rather than political arguments.
The APC PCC had earlier cited the Mambilla proceedings in its criticism of Atiku and his suitability for the 2027 presidential contest.
Atiku, however, urged Nigerians to focus on issues such as insecurity, employment, the cost of living and the effects of government economic policies ahead of the 2027 election.
He concluded that an allegation should not be presented as an adjudicated finding unless the relevant tribunal record supports it.
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