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The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race over a controversial $500,000 payment made to his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, during negotiations surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.

The demand followed revelations from a final award issued by a three-member International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris in the long-running dispute between Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government.

The tribunal ruled in favour of Nigeria, rejecting Sunrise Power’s claims and ordering the company and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, to reimburse Nigeria for 75 per cent of its legal costs.

At the centre of the controversy is a $500,000 transfer made by Adesanya on January 30, 2003, through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company he controlled, into Douglas’s Citibank account in the United States.

The payment came less than four months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a 3,960-megawatt Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract for the Mambilla project in Taraba State.

Tribunal Questions $500,000 Payment

During the arbitration, Adesanya told the tribunal that the $500,000 was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out on behalf of Atiku.

However, the tribunal did not accept the explanation, noting the absence of documentary evidence showing the underlying naira payment, exchange rate, instructions from Atiku or his aides, correspondence relating to the transaction or records establishing its commercial purpose.

The tribunal also noted that neither Atiku nor Douglas testified or submitted witness statements to corroborate Adesanya’s account.

It further questioned the explanation because the payment was made during the period when Sunrise was pursuing the Mambilla project and months before the company was purportedly awarded the contract.

The tribunal’s findings, however, concerned the evidence and claims before it in the arbitration; they did not establish in the award that Atiku personally received a bribe.

Mambilla Contract Controversy

The Mambilla project, initially conceived in 1982 as a 3,050MW hydropower scheme, later became the subject of negotiations involving Sunrise and its Chinese partner.

Sunrise expressed interest in developing the project from 2001 and subsequently submitted proposals to the Federal Government.

A technical committee eventually recommended Sunrise for the 3,960MW project in March 2003.

Former Minister of Power Olu Agunloye later issued a letter which Sunrise relied upon as evidence that it had been awarded the project.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, however, maintained that the Federal Executive Council never approved the contract and that he directed the withdrawal of the relevant memorandum.

The disputed letter subsequently became central to Sunrise’s multibillion-dollar arbitration claims against Nigeria.

APC Accuses Atiku of Conflict of Interest

Reacting to the tribunal’s findings, APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesman Dele Alake accused Atiku and Agunloye of working together to facilitate the disputed Sunrise contract.

Alake described the $500,000 payment as an alleged bribe connected to the Mambilla deal and argued that its timing raised questions about a possible conflict of interest involving Atiku, who was vice-president at the time.

The APC spokesman also criticised Atiku for not appearing as a witness before the tribunal, saying his testimony could have helped clarify the circumstances surrounding the payment.

The campaign council subsequently demanded that Atiku withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest.

Long-Running Mambilla Legal Battle

The dispute over the Mambilla project has continued for years.

Sunrise previously pursued billions of dollars in claims against Nigeria, alleging breaches relating to the proposed project.

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A surviving miner has alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside a detention cell shortly before several suspected illegal miners began collapsing while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.

The survivor made the allegation while recounting his experience in detention during a visit to the state by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

According to the miner, detainees were locked inside a cell before an unidentified substance was sprayed into the facility.

He alleged that shortly after the substance was released, some of the detainees began experiencing difficulties before collapsing.

«“They sprayed something inside the cell after locking us in, and people began collapsing,” the survivor reportedly said.»

The allegation comes amid growing scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding the deaths of suspected illegal miners who were detained by security authorities in Niger State.

The survivor did not identify the substance allegedly sprayed inside the cell, nor did he state who allegedly authorised or carried out the action.

He also did not provide details on the number of detainees who were affected or establish whether the alleged spraying directly caused any of the reported deaths.

The NSCDC and other relevant authorities have yet to publicly respond to the specific allegation.

The account is likely to intensify calls for a thorough investigation into the treatment of the detainees and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Establishing what happened inside the cell would require further investigation, including determining the identity of the substance allegedly used, who introduced it into the facility and whether there was any link between the incident and the subsequent collapse or deaths of detainees.

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By Gloria Ikibah.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has reaffirmed the welfare and interests of Nigerians at home and in the diaspora as the central focus of the country’s foreign policy.

Enikanolaiye said the policy direction was an integral part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that Nigeria’s diplomacy must have a direct impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

The Minister stated this when women from Yagba South East District in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, led by their National President, Chief Ms Ojo Iyabode, paid him a solidarity visit in his office.

Enikanolaiye, who is Patron of the grassroots women’s group, Chairman of the Yagba South East Development Association and Agba Akin of Yagba South East, commended the women for their contributions to medical outreach, women and youth empowerment and community development.

He also pledged his continued support for the group.

He said: “It’s an honour to be visited by you. It’s a rare thing to be recognised and celebrated at home, especially by women. I do not take this visit for granted. Anyone who plays with the role of women is playing with fire.

“I’m impressed by your level of organisation. I thank you for your love, discipline, and integrity. I’m aware of your impacts in the areas of medical outreach, which has saved many lives, and your cooperative society. You have been remarkably successful in community development and especially in the empowerment of women and children. We can only continue to support you and inspire the younger ones.”
Focus on the 4Ds
The Minister explained the Federal Government’s 4Ds foreign policy thrust — Demography, Development, Diaspora and Democracy — describing the four components as critical to the country’s current diplomatic direction.

He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working to align Nigeria’s foreign policy with the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda, while ensuring that diplomacy delivered tangible benefits to citizens.

Enikanolaiye said the Ministry was also working to ensure that foreign policy promoted Nigeria’s national interest, welfare, prosperity and economic wellbeing.

“Demography is about the people. About you and I, everyone of us. That is the view that foreign policy must impact in the lives of ordinary Nigerians. Otherwise, foreign policy remains just foreign, with the Ministry dealing more with foreigners. We are trying to change that orientation. We are trying to see that what we do here focuses on the lives of an average Nigerian”, he added.

“That is why the President goes around to promote Direct Foreign Investment, DFI. That is why we carry our people in the diaspora along as critical assets for national development,” he said.

On the development component of the policy, the Minister said the Ministry was seeking to harness Nigeria’s resources and international partnerships to promote human security, education, infrastructure and other areas that affect citizens.

“We are trying to show that foreign policy promotes the lives and wellbeing of ordinary Nigerians. We are trying to encourage small and medium enterprises to do better. We encourage better packaging of our product so that they receive immediate international acceptance. There are immense opportunities such as low interest loans through OIC for example and ECOWAS out there that Nigerians don’t know much about or how to maximise. Our job is to raise awareness and we encourage you to key into them,” the Minister said.

He cited his recent engagements in Maiduguri and Bauchi as examples of the Ministry’s efforts to connect Nigeria’s foreign policy with economic and security opportunities.

Enikanolaiye said he travelled to Maiduguri about four weeks earlier to discuss security along the Lake Chad Basin and was in Bauchi the previous week for discussions on the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme.

He encouraged Nigerians, particularly small and medium-scale businesses, to take advantage of available regional and international opportunities.

The Minister pledged to remain committed to his responsibilities and the interests of his constituents, while appealing to the women to continue supporting and praying for the Federal Government.

He noted that the prayers of mothers remained important to those entrusted with public responsibilities.

Earlier, the National President of the group expressed the women’s delight over the appointment of Enikanolaiye and his recognition at the national level.

She congratulated him on his appointment and wished him a successful tenure in service to the country.

“Your new office comes with significant responsibilities, as you are representing Nigeria and contributing to the advancement of our nation’s diplomatic relations and international interests. We are confident that your wisdom, experience, integrity, and commitment to service will make a meaningful difference in this important role”, Iyabode said.

She said the group was proud of the Minister’s achievements and thanked President Bola Tinubu for considering their son worthy of the appointment.

The women’s leader also prayed for wisdom, strength, good health and courage for Enikanolaiye as he carries out his responsibilities in the service of the nation.