By Emma Peter, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Nigerians to reject former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election, citing what it described as controversies surrounding his past public service record.
According to a press statement issued on Thursday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in Abuja, the APC said Atiku’s political career had been linked to a number of local and international corruption controversies, including the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, the Siemens bribery scandal, the William Jefferson case, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) controversy and a 2010 United States Senate investigation into suspicious financial transactions.
The party said the issues were documented in official records, tribunal proceedings, government investigations, legislative reports and international financial inquiries, arguing that they raised questions about Atiku’s record on accountability and public trust.
The APC said the latest controversy surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project was particularly troubling, citing proceedings before an International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Tribunal in Paris concerning a $500,000 payment allegedly made in January 2003 by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s former wife, through an offshore company.
According to the party, the payment occurred around the period the Mambilla contract was awarded while Atiku was Vice President.
The APC also revisited the Siemens bribery scandal, in which United States authorities investigated allegations that Siemens paid millions of dollars in bribes to secure contracts in Nigeria.
Morka alleged that approximately $2.8 million reportedly passed through a bank account associated with Douglas, adding that Siemens subsequently agreed to pay about $1.6 billion in penalties to US and German authorities over global bribery violations.
The party further cited the William Jefferson bribery case, alleging that US court records showed that the former congressman disclosed paying $100,000 to Atiku to influence a proposed business partnership involving iGate and Netlink Digital Television.
Jefferson was later convicted and sentenced to prison in the United States.
The APC also referred to a 2010 report by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations which examined more than $40 million in suspicious funds transferred into the United States through offshore companies and accounts associated with Douglas and her family.
The party said the various controversies should form part of the public discussion as Nigerians prepare for the 2027 presidential election.
Morka also criticised Atiku over his position on fuel subsidy, alleging that his reported change from supporting subsidy removal in 2023 to promising to restore the subsidy regime if elected would have implications for the country’s finances.
The APC argued that the Federal Government’s economic reforms had strengthened the nation’s financial position and alleged that restoring fuel subsidy would reverse some of the gains.
The party further cited comments attributed to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in August 2026 regarding his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in 1999.
Morka quoted Obasanjo as saying that if he had known Atiku “as I came to know him later,” he would not have selected him as his running mate.
The APC said the former president’s comments further highlighted what it described as concerns over Atiku’s record in public office.
The party concluded by urging Nigerians to scrutinise the records, policy positions and public service history of all presidential contenders ahead of the 2027 election.
