Presidency Demands Atiku's Explanation on $500,000 Payment

The Presidency has challenged Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, to clarify a $500,000 payment made to his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited. This demand was made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, following a press conference where Atiku did not address the issue.

The payment, made on January 30, 2003, was claimed by Adesanya to be part of a foreign-exchange transaction for Atiku, unrelated to the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project. However, the International Chamber of Commerce tribunal in Paris found insufficient evidence to support this claim.

The tribunal's ruling, which favored the Federal Government, rejected claims that could have cost Nigeria over $3.38 billion. The timing of the payment, just months before Sunrise was awarded a contract for the Mambilla project, raises integrity questions about Atiku, according to the Presidency.