The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of compromising Nigeria’s national interest for personal gain, following revelations it said emerged from arbitration proceedings in Paris over the stalled Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.
In a statement issued Friday by the council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, the APC alleged that Abubakar and former Power Minister Olu Agunloye worked together to facilitate the signing of a controversial Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Ltd.
The council linked the controversy to a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 to an account belonging to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku Abubakar’s then-wife, by China Castle Investment, an offshore company associated with Leno Adesanya, the APC statement alleged.
According to the campaign council, the payment and the subsequent award of the Mambilla-related contract were examined during arbitration proceedings under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris.
The APC quoted the tribunal as observing: “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 campaign council alleged that the disputed contract exposed Nigeria to substantial financial liabilities after the Federal Government declined to proceed with the agreement.
It said Sunrise Power and Leno Adesanya subsequently pursued claims against Nigeria, including demands for hundreds of millions of dollars and a separate claim reportedly exceeding $2.7 billion relating to disputes surrounding the Mambilla project.
The APC further alleged that the $500,000 payment formed part of suspicious financial transactions examined in a previous United States Senate investigation. The council cited a report titled Keeping Foreign Corruption out of the United States: Four Case Histories in support of its allegations.
The statement also criticized Atiku for not appearing in Paris to give evidence in the arbitration proceedings, contrasting his absence with the appearances of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, whom the APC said appeared in support of Nigeria’s position.
The campaign council said the developments reinforced criticisms previously made by Obasanjo about Atiku in his memoir, My Watch, particularly concerning allegations of corruption, disloyalty, lack of transparency and prioritization of personal interests.
The APC Campaign Council consequently called on Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, alleging that further revelations concerning the former vice-president could emerge from the controversy.
The council also directed its criticism at Atiku’s political campaign in Taraba State, arguing that the stalled Mambilla project has deprived the state and Nigeria of potential economic benefits associated with large-scale hydroelectric power generation.
The statement was signed by Dele Alake, Spokesman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, in Abuja on September 18, 2026.
The allegations contained in the statement are those of the APC Campaign Council. The claims concerning the arbitration proceedings, financial transactions and the conduct of the individuals involved would need to be independently verified against the tribunal’s records and other primary documentation.
