Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has challenged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to address allegations linking him to a $500,000 payment allegedly made by Sunrise Power in connection with the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
Onanuga made the call in a statement on Friday, following Atiku’s comments at a press conference where the former vice-president criticised the Federal Government’s policies, including its position on petrol subsidy and electricity subsidies.
The statement alleged that Atiku and former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, awarded the Mambilla project contract to Sunrise Power without authorisation from the Federal Executive Council and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Onanuga also cited proceedings in Paris concerning the dispute over the project, alleging that Atiku received $500,000 from Sunrise Power and its Chief Executive Officer, Leno Adesanya, in connection with the contract.
According to him, the payment was allegedly made in tranches into the Citibank account of Atiku’s former wife, Jennifer Douglas, and subsequently attracted the attention of the bank.
He quoted the tribunal as stating that there was ‘a close connection in time’ between the payment of the $500,000 to Douglas on January 30, 2003, and the alleged award of the Build-Operate-Transfer contract to Sunrise Power on May 22, 2003.
Onanuga said Atiku should have addressed the allegations concerning the payment instead of focusing on his criticism of the Federal Government.
He also accused the former vice-president of making claims about plans by the administration to withdraw electricity subsidies, saying the allegation had already been denied by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
The presidential aide further highlighted the financial implications of the legal dispute over the Mambilla project, claiming that Sunrise Power and Adesanya could have received about $3.38 billion had their claims in the proceedings succeeded.
According to him, the amount included a $680 million settlement sum and interest, as well as a separate claim of $2.7 billion in compensation and interest relating to the non-development of the Mambilla project.
Onanuga urged Atiku to directly respond to the allegations concerning the $500,000 payment, arguing that the issue was relevant to questions about the former vice-president’s suitability to seek the presidency.
He said the allegations should not be overshadowed by Atiku’s criticisms of the current administration.