By Our Correspondent
ABUJA – The All Progressives Congress has urged Nigerians to scrutinise former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s record in public office before the 2027 presidential election, citing controversies surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, Siemens and William Jefferson cases, as well as financial transactions examined by US authorities.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, titled, “2027: Why Nigerians Must Keep Atiku Away From the National Treasury.”
Morka said the controversies associated with Atiku’s years in public office raised questions about accountability and probity, urging voters to consider the documented records and investigations surrounding the former vice-president.
The statement comes days after reports on an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration award concerning a $500,000 payment made in 2003 by Sunrise Power promoter, Leno Adesanya, to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s then-wife.
According to reports on the ICC tribunal proceedings, Adesanya said the payment was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. The payment was made through his offshore company, China Castle Investments Limited, less than four months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a build-operate-transfer contract for the Mambilla project.
The tribunal examined Nigeria’s allegations concerning the payment but the arbitration itself was between Sunrise Power and the Federal Government.
Reports also show that Atiku has denied being indicted by the tribunal over the payment.
Morka also cited the Siemens bribery controversy, alleging that funds linked to the case passed through an account associated with Douglas.
A 2010 US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report said Douglas helped Atiku bring more than $40m in suspect funds into the United States between 2000 and 2008 through offshore corporations. The report also referenced allegations concerning $2.8m in payments from Siemens.
The APC spokesman further referenced the William Jefferson case, the controversy surrounding Petroleum Technology Development Fund funds and other US financial investigations involving Atiku and associates.
Turning to fuel subsidy policy, Morka accused Atiku of changing his position on subsidy removal, alleging that the former vice-president’s current proposal to restore subsidies would undermine Nigeria’s finances.
The APC spokesman also invoked former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent comments about his choice of Atiku as running mate in 1999.
“Obasanjo said in August that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have picked Atiku as his vice-president, describing the decision as his biggest mistake in office,” Morka said.
Morka concluded by questioning Atiku’s suitability for the presidency and called on Nigerians to consider the controversies surrounding his political career as they approach the 2027 election.