APC accuses Atiku of corruption, urges Nigerians to reject him in 2027

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of involvement in a series of alleged local and international financial controversies and urged Nigerians to reject his bid for the presidency in the 2027 election.

The party made the allegations in a statement titled, “2027: Why Nigerians Must Keep Atiku Away From the National Treasury,” signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.

The APC cited controversies surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, the Siemens bribery investigation, the William Jefferson case, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) funds controversy and a 2010 US Senate investigation into suspicious financial transactions involving Atiku and his former wife, Jennifer Douglas.

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The party said the issues had generated questions about Atiku’s record and suitability for public office, describing them as matters documented in official records, court proceedings, government investigations and legislative reports.

On the Mambilla project, the APC referred to a recent International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration award involving a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 by Sunrise Power promoter Leno Adesanya to Douglas, who was Atiku’s wife at the time.

According to reports based on the tribunal’s final award, Adesanya told the tribunal that the payment was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. The payment was made through China Castle Investments Ltd., an offshore company controlled by Adesanya, less than four months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a build-operate-transfer contract for the Mambilla project.

The tribunal found that Adesanya did not provide documentary evidence supporting his explanation for the transaction, including records of the underlying naira payment, exchange rate, instructions from Atiku or his aides, correspondence or documentation establishing its commercial purpose.

However, the tribunal did not find that Atiku personally received a bribe or used his official position to secure the Mambilla contract. Atiku has also denied being indicted over the payment.

The APC also cited the Siemens bribery case, in which US and German authorities investigated a wide-ranging international bribery scheme. Siemens ultimately agreed to pay more than $1.6 billion in fines, penalties and disgorgement to US and German authorities in 2008.

The party further referred to the US investigation involving former Congressman William Jefferson. US court records show that Jefferson discussed and agreed to make a $100,000 cash payment to Atiku in connection with a proposed Nigerian telecommunications venture. Jefferson was later convicted in the United States.

The APC also cited a 2010 US Senate investigation into financial transactions involving Atiku and Douglas, alongside the PTDF controversy, as part of what it described as a pattern of financial questions surrounding the former vice president.

Turning to economic policy, the APC criticised Atiku’s pledge to restore petrol subsidies if elected in 2027.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said in August that his position on subsidy had not changed and that he would restore it if elected.

The APC argued that the proposal could undermine the Federal Government’s economic reforms, while portraying the restoration of subsidy as financially unsustainable.

The party also cited comments by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who in August described his decision to choose Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as the biggest mistake of his presidency.

“If I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him,” Obasanjo said.

Atiku subsequently rejected Obasanjo’s criticism, saying his decision to oppose the former president’s third-term bid was based on his commitment to the Constitution and democracy.

The APC said the controversies it raised should be considered by voters ahead of the 2027 presidential election and accused Atiku of seeking access to the national treasury.

The party concluded by urging Nigerians to reject what it described as Atiku’s return to power, while presenting the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms as an alternative path for the country.

The allegations and political characterisations in the statement represent the position of the APC.