The All Progressives Congress (APC) has listed seven reasons why Nigerians must keep former Vice President Atiku Abubakar away from the national treasury, warning that his return to power would spell disaster for the country’s economy.
In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, and released in Abuja on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the ruling party said Atiku’s record as a former public official represents “an executive summary of some of Nigeria’s vilest episodes of corruption and cronyism.”
The party stated that Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election presents the electorate with an opportunity to “deal a final blow to Atiku’s desperate quest for presidential power and save the country from his ravenous plunder.”
Below are the seven reasons listed by the APC:
- Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project Scandal
The APC alleged that an International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Tribunal in Paris examined a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s wife at the time, through an offshore company. The payment reportedly occurred around the period the Mambilla contract was awarded while Atiku was Vice President. The party noted that Atiku declined to explain the payment. - Siemens Bribery Scandal
The party recalled that US authorities alleged Siemens paid at least $4.5 million in bribes to secure Nigerian telecommunications contracts during the Obasanjo administration, with approximately $2.8 million reportedly passing through a bank account owned by Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s ex-wife. Siemens subsequently agreed to pay approximately $1.6 billion in penalties to US and German authorities. - William Jefferson Bribery Case
The APC said US court records indicated that former Congressman William Jefferson disclosed paying Atiku $100,000 to influence a proposed business partnership involving iGate and Netlink Digital Television. Jefferson was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison. - PTDF Funds Controversy
The party listed the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) controversy among the scandals staining Atiku’s record, describing it as part of a pattern of corruption and abuse of office. - US Senate Investigation into Suspicious Financial Transactions
Citing a 2010 report of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the APC linked Atiku and his ex-wife, Jennifer Douglas, to more than $40 million in suspicious funds transferred into the United States through offshore companies and lodged in over 30 bank accounts. - Fuel Subsidy Policy U-Turn
The party accused Atiku of a sudden reversal from his 2023 policy position in favour of fuel subsidy removal to a new promise to restore the subsidy regime if elected. The APC described this as a device to “lay his hands on, and squander, the country’s 18-year foreign reserve high of over $54 billion” built up under President Bola Tinubu. - Obasanjo’s Characterization
The APC cited President Olusegun Obasanjo’s book, My Watch, in which he characterised Atiku as possessing a propensity for corruption, disloyalty, poor judgment, and a readiness to sacrifice national interest for selfish gains. The party also referenced Obasanjo’s August 2026 statement describing his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as “the biggest mistake of his presidency.”
The APC concluded that Atiku was “an accidental vice president and categorically unfit for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Discussion about this post