2027: APC Raises Fresh Allegations Against Atiku, Questions His Record on Accountability
By Pan Afric Reporters
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a fresh attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, raising questions over his record on accountability and urging Nigerians to scrutinise allegations surrounding his past dealings ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The position was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on September 24, 2026, by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, CON, in which the ruling party cited controversies involving the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, Siemens, the William Jefferson case, PTDF funds and a 2010 US Senate investigation into financial transactions associated with Atiku and his former wife, Jennifer Douglas.
The APC alleged that the controversies constituted documented evidence raising questions about Atiku’s suitability for the presidency. The party referenced official records, court and tribunal proceedings, government investigations and legislative reports in both Nigeria and the United States as the basis for its claims.
On the Mambilla project, the APC referred to 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 through an offshore company. The party alleged that the payment occurred around the period the Mambilla contract was awarded, when Atiku was Vice President, while asserting that he had declined an opportunity to explain the transaction.
The party also revisited the Siemens bribery case, alleging that US authorities had established that Siemens paid millions of dollars in bribes in connection with Nigerian telecommunications contracts during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, with part of the funds allegedly passing through an account linked to Douglas. Siemens subsequently entered into major settlements with US and German authorities over global bribery violations.
The APC further cited the case involving former US Congressman William Jefferson, alleging that US court records indicated that Jefferson disclosed a $100,000 payment to Atiku in connection with a proposed business partnership involving iGate and Netlink Digital Television. Jefferson was later convicted and sentenced to prison.
The party also referenced a 2010 report by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations concerning more than $40 million in suspicious funds allegedly transferred into the United States through offshore companies and accounts associated with Douglas and her family. The APC said the report warranted scrutiny in assessing issues of financial accountability, while Atiku has previously disputed allegations concerning his conduct.
Turning to economic policy, the APC criticised what it described as Atiku’s change in position on fuel subsidy removal, contrasting his reported 2023 position with his more recent promise to restore the subsidy if elected. The party alleged that such a policy would undermine the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, while claiming that Nigeria’s foreign reserves had risen significantly under the current administration.
The statement also cited former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s past criticisms of Atiku, including remarks reported in August 2026 that his decision to select Atiku as running mate in 1999 was the biggest mistake of his presidency. The APC quoted Obasanjo as saying: “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.”
The APC concluded its statement by urging Nigerians to consider the allegations and Atiku’s public record as the country moves towards the 2027 presidential election. The party described the former Vice President as unsuitable for the presidency, while Atiku remains a prominent opposition figure and potential contender in the 2027 political contest.
