NIGERIA: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has renewed its attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging Nigerians not to entrust him with the country’s national treasury.
The ruling party made the call in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, titled, “2027: Why Nigerians Must Keep Atiku Away From the National Treasury.”
Morka cited a number of past local and international controversies involving Atiku and his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, including the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project dispute, the Siemens bribery scandal, the William Jefferson case, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) controversy and a 2010 United States Senate investigation into suspicious financial transactions.
The APC argued that the issues, which have featured in official investigations, court proceedings, legislative reports and international financial inquiries, raised questions about Atiku’s record and suitability to manage public resources.
The party said, “The media and public discourse have been awash with damning reports of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s alleged dealings in local and international bribery and corruption schemes.”
It added: “Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election presents the electorate the opportunity to deal a final blow to Atiku’s desperate quest for presidential power and save the country from his ravenous plunder.”
Mambilla controversy
The APC’s latest attack comes amid renewed controversy over a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, to Jennifer Douglas, who was Atiku’s wife at the time.
The payment was examined by an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris in its final award on the long-running dispute involving the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
According to reports on the tribunal’s findings, Adesanya said the payment was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. The tribunal, however, rejected the explanation after finding that the supporting evidence was inadequate and described aspects of the transaction as raising significant concerns.
However, the tribunal did not find that Atiku received a bribe, abused his office or corruptly influenced the award of the Mambilla contract.
Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, subsequently challenged the APC to produce the portion of the tribunal’s final award where he was found to have received a bribe or influenced the contract award.
He argued that a commercial arbitration should not be presented as a criminal conviction.
Siemens, Jefferson cases
The APC also revived the Siemens bribery controversy, alleging that funds connected to the global bribery investigation passed through an account associated with Douglas.
The party further cited the US corruption case involving former Congressman William Jefferson, who was convicted in the United States and sentenced to prison in 2009. The case involved business interests in Nigeria and allegations concerning payments linked to proposed telecommunications ventures.
The APC also referred to a 2010 report by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which examined financial transactions involving Atiku, Douglas and companies associated with them.
According to the party, the Senate inquiry raised questions about the movement of millions of dollars through offshore companies and US bank accounts.
The APC also revisited the controversy surrounding the management of PTDF funds during Atiku’s tenure as vice president, alleging that investigations at the time raised questions about the handling and disbursement of funds.
Atiku has repeatedly denied allegations of corruption and has described accusations against him as politically motivated. His recent response to the Mambilla controversy also stressed that he was neither a party to the arbitration nor found guilty of corruption by the tribunal.
APC attacks Atiku over subsidy pledge
Beyond the corruption allegations, the APC criticised Atiku over his promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
The former vice president has said he would reinstate the subsidy, arguing that government should use available resources to cushion the hardship faced by Nigerians.
The APC, however, described the proposal as a reversal of the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu, arguing that subsidy restoration would place additional pressure on public finances.
The party maintained that the Tinubu administration’s reforms had strengthened Nigeria’s finances, while accusing Atiku of seeking to reverse the changes.
APC invokes Obasanjo’s criticism
Morka also cited former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent criticism of Atiku, who served as his vice president between 1999 and 2007.
According to the APC, Obasanjo had said: “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”
The party argued that the former president’s remark reinforced its position that Atiku should not be entrusted with the presidency.
The APC concluded by urging Nigerians to reject Atiku’s presidential bid in 2027, maintaining that the controversies surrounding his public record raised serious questions about accountability and the management of national resources.
Atiku, now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has contested the presidency several times and remains a major opposition figure ahead of the 2027 election. The latest exchange is part of an intensifying political battle between the APC and opposition forces ahead of the poll.
