ICC Findings: Atiku Declared Unfit for Presidency, Reason Emerges
- The APC Campaign Council released a press statement on September 18, 2026, citing ICC arbitration hearings in Paris as evidence against Atiku Abubakar
- The hearings linked Atiku to a $500,000 payment connected to the controversial Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project contract in Taraba State
- The APC called on Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, warning of further corruption revelations to come
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has declared former Vice President Atiku Abubakar unfit to contest Nigeria's presidency, citing evidence that emerged from arbitration proceedings at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris.
In a press statement dated September 18, and signed by APC spokesman Dele Alake, the campaign council said hearings before the ICC International Arbitration Tribunal confirmed that Atiku, while serving as Vice President, worked alongside former power minister Olu Agunloye to sign an unlawful contract with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Ltd and its principal, Leno Adesanya, for the 3,960MW Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba state.
Source: Twitter
Atiku 2027: The $500,000 payment
According to the statement, Adesanya wired $500,000 through an offshore entity, China Castle Investment, to a US Citibank account belonging to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku's former wife, in January 2003. The payment was made in tranches, which the APC said drew scrutiny from Citibank and US authorities. The transfers later featured in a US Senate investigation titled *Keeping Foreign Corruption out of the United States: Four Case Histories*, in which Jennifer Douglas said her husband directed the funds to her account and that she had no knowledge of the offshore company behind the transfer.
The ICC Tribunal noted: "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 APC said the contract was signed against the objections of then-President Olusegun Obasanjo at a Federal Executive Council meeting. After Nigeria declined to honour the agreement, Sunrise and Adesanya filed a claim against the Federal Republic of Nigeria demanding $680 million, with a related arbitration seeking over $2.7 billion in compensation tied to the Mambilla project dispute.
Atiku's absence in Paris
The statement said Atiku did not appear before the ICC Tribunal to give evidence, despite a request for his witness statement. The APC contrasted this with former Presidents Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, both of whom reportedly travelled to Paris to testify in Nigeria's defence.
Alake also cited Obasanjo's book, *My Watch*, in which the former president wrote that Atiku had "a propensity to corruption" and "a readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest."
APC calls for Atiku's withdrawal
The APC Campaign Council urged Atiku, who is the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, to step down from the race. The statement described the $500,000 payment as "just the tip of the iceberg" and accused him of being partly responsible for the long-delayed Mambilla project, which the council said would have brought significant economic benefits to Taraba State.
See Alake's full statement on X here:
2027 Elections: Atiku dismisses age concerns
Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar addressed questions about his age in a BBC Hausa interview published on Friday, pushing back against critics who raised concerns.
The ADC presidential candidate challenged the interviewer's premise by asking whether he appeared old enough to warrant the question.
Atiku also responded to claims that he had become a stumbling block to opposition coalition efforts ahead of the 2027 election.
Source: Legit.ng
