APC Launches Fresh Attack on Atiku, Says He Cannot Be Trusted With Nigeria’s Treasury

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a fresh attack on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of being linked to a series of corruption controversies and warning Nigerians against entrusting him with the country’s treasury in 2027.
The party made the accusation in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, who questioned Atiku’s record in public office and described his presidential ambition as a threat to Nigeria’s economic resources.
According to Morka, controversies surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, the Siemens bribery case, the William Jefferson investigation and suspicious financial transactions examined by US authorities raise serious questions about Atiku’s record.
The APC’s latest attack comes days after an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris examined a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s then-wife, by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power.
The payment became relevant to the Mambilla dispute because it occurred months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a build-operate-transfer contract for the project. The tribunal said the explanation offered for the payment was not supported by sufficient documentary evidence.
The APC has interpreted the circumstances surrounding the payment as evidence of serious wrongdoing and has used the development to renew its criticism of Atiku ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Morka also accused Atiku of having a history of controversies involving international financial transactions and alleged that his past record makes him unsuitable for the presidency.
The party further criticised Atiku over his recent position on fuel subsidy, arguing that his proposal to restore subsidy payments would undermine the economic reforms of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
However, Atiku has rejected the APC’s interpretation of the Mambilla arbitration. Through his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, he said the tribunal did not find that he received a bribe, abused his office or corruptly influenced the award of the Mambilla contract. He challenged the APC to produce any portion of the tribunal’s final award containing such a finding.
The former vice-president has also maintained that the APC was attempting to turn allegations examined during a commercial arbitration into a corruption conviction against him.
Despite Atiku’s denial, the APC has continued to use the Mambilla controversy and other past allegations to question his suitability for the presidency.
Morka also cited former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of Atiku and argued that Nigerians should consider the former vice-president’s record before deciding who should control the country’s resources in 2027.