The All Progressives Congress (APC) has renewed its criticism of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of being linked to a series of corruption controversies and questioning his suitability for the presidency ahead of the 2027 election.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, made the allegations in a statement on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, citing controversies surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, the Siemens bribery scandal, the William Jefferson case, and a 2010 report by a United States Senate subcommittee.
Morka said the cases raised questions about Atiku’s record in public office and alleged that the former vice president should not be entrusted with the presidency.
The APC’s latest statement followed renewed attention to a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s then-wife, through an offshore company.
An International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris examined the payment in proceedings relating to the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project. According to reports on the tribunal’s award, Adesanya said the payment was made as part of a foreign-exchange transaction for Atiku. The tribunal, however, found that Adesanya had failed to provide documentary or independent witness evidence supporting his explanation of the transaction.
The Nigerian government subsequently welcomed the ICC tribunal’s September 17, 2026 award, which rejected claims brought by Sunrise Power against Nigeria in the arbitration.
Morka also cited the Siemens bribery case. US authorities had alleged that Siemens made bribery payments in several countries, including Nigeria, and US Securities and Exchange Commission filings stated that approximately $2.8 million of alleged bribe payments was routed through a US bank account belonging to the wife of a former Nigerian vice president. Siemens subsequently agreed to pay more than $1.6 billion in combined criminal and civil penalties to US and German authorities.
The APC statement also referred to the 2010 US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report, which said Jennifer Douglas helped transfer more than $40 million in funds from offshore corporations into the United States between 2000 and 2008. The Senate report also noted that the SEC had alleged that Douglas received $2.8 million in Siemens bribe payments, while Douglas, through her legal counsel, denied wrongdoing.
Morka further mentioned the William Jefferson bribery case and the controversy surrounding the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), presenting them as part of what the party described as a pattern of questions surrounding Atiku’s record.
The APC spokesman also criticised Atiku over his reported change in position on fuel subsidy removal, contrasting his 2023 position with his more recent promise to restore the subsidy regime if elected.
Morka argued that such a policy would undermine the country’s finances, while crediting President Bola Tinubu’s administration with strengthening Nigeria’s foreign reserves.
The APC statement also invoked former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent criticism of his former vice president. In August 2026, Obasanjo said he would not have selected Atiku as his running mate in 1999 had he known him as he later came to know him, describing the decision as his biggest mistake.
Atiku subsequently responded to Obasanjo, saying his opposition to the former president’s bid for a third term was motivated by his commitment to the Constitution and democracy rather than personal loyalty.
The APC, however, maintained that the controversies cited in its statement should be considered in assessing Atiku’s presidential ambitions.
Morka described Atiku as “categorically unfit” for the presidency and urged Nigerians to reject his bid for the country’s highest political office.
The allegations and political characterisations contained in the APC statement remain contested political claims; they should not be treated as findings that Atiku has been convicted of corruption in the cases cited.
