The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has accused African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of compromising Nigeria’s interests over the stalled Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Dele Alake, the campaign council cited proceedings at an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal in Paris over disputes involving Sunrise Power and Transmission Company and businessman Leno Adesanya.
The APC council alleged that Abubakar, who was vice president at the time, and former Power Minister Olu Agunloye worked together to approve a contract for the 3,960-megawatt Mambila project despite objections raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The council also linked a $500,000 payment made to Abubakar’s then-wife, Jennifer Douglas, through an offshore account to the subsequent award of the contract.
It cited a finding from the Paris tribunal which said there was a “close connection in time” between the payment made on Jan. 30, 2003, and the alleged award of the contract to Sunrise on May 22, 2003.
The APC council alleged that the payment amounted to a bribe, while noting that Abubakar did not appear at the arbitration hearing to give evidence.
The council said the dispute had exposed Nigeria to potential financial liabilities, with Sunrise and Adesanya seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in one claim and more than $2.7 billion in another arbitration related to the Mambila project.
The APC campaign council also referred to previous U.S. Senate investigations involving Abubakar and alleged suspicious financial transfers, as well as former President Obasanjo’s criticisms of Abubakar in his book, My Watch.
The allegations have not been independently established in the statement.
The campaign council called on Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, while also accusing him of contributing to the delay in the Mambila project.
Abubakar, a former vice president, is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 election.
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