The All Progressives Congress (APC) has renewed its criticism of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presiden...
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has renewed its criticism of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging Nigerians not to entrust him with the country’s national treasury.
The party made the call in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in which it cited several past corruption-related controversies involving Atiku, his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, and associates.
The statement, titled “2027: Why Nigerians Must Keep Atiku Away From The National Treasury,” alleged that controversies surrounding the former vice president included the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, the Siemens bribery case, the William Jefferson case and a 2010 investigation by a United States Senate subcommittee into suspicious financial transactions.
The APC described the cases as evidence of what it called a troubling record that should be considered by voters ahead of the 2027 election.
The party’s latest statement comes shortly after renewed public attention to the Mambilla power project following the publication of an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal’s findings concerning a $500,000 payment made in 2003 to Jennifer Douglas, who was then Atiku’s wife.
According to reports on the tribunal proceedings, Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, told the tribunal that the payment was made through an offshore company and was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. The payment was made on January 30, 2003, several months before Sunrise was purportedly awarded a build-operate-transfer contract for the Mambilla project.
However, reporting on the tribunal’s final award indicates that the tribunal did not make a finding that Atiku received a bribe. Atiku has also denied being indicted by the tribunal over the payment.
On the Siemens matter, the APC referred to allegations that payments connected to Siemens’ Nigerian telecommunications contracts were routed through an account associated with Douglas.
A U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report published in 2010 stated that more than $40 million in suspect funds were transferred into the United States through offshore corporations and accounts associated with Douglas between 2000 and 2008. The report also cited a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegation that approximately $2.8 million in Siemens-related bribe payments was routed through a bank account in her name.
The Senate report examined wider concerns about how politically exposed persons and their associates moved funds through the U.S. financial system. It did not constitute a criminal conviction of Atiku. AFP Fact Check has also noted that the report was published in 2010 and that it did not result in criminal charges against Atiku at the time or subsequently.
The APC also cited the case involving former U.S. Congressman William Jefferson, who was convicted in the United States on bribery-related charges. The party alleged that the case brought Atiku and some of his associates under scrutiny. Contemporary U.S. reporting said Jefferson had demanded $100,000 in connection with a proposed business arrangement involving Nigerian interests, while Atiku denied wrongdoing.
Morka further criticised Atiku over his reported position on fuel subsidy, accusing the former vice president of changing his position from support for subsidy removal to a pledge to restore the subsidy regime.
The APC linked the issue to the country’s foreign exchange reserves and accused Atiku of seeking access to public resources through what it described as an unrealistic subsidy policy.
The party also referred to comments attributed to former President Olusegun Obasanjo concerning his relationship with Atiku, including remarks reportedly made in August 2026 in which Obasanjo described his decision to choose Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as a major mistake.
The APC statement concluded by describing Atiku as unsuitable for the presidency and urged Nigerians to reject his bid in the 2027 election.
Atiku, who is seeking the presidency under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has previously rejected corruption allegations against him, including the suggestion that the recent Mambilla arbitration amounted to a corruption finding against him.
The renewed exchange between the APC and Atiku's camp comes as political parties and presidential aspirants begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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