Obasanjo and Buhari’s Statements on $2.3bn Mambilla Dispute in Paris Court

Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari have appeared before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court of Arbitration in Paris to challenge allegations made by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company regarding the $6 billion Mambilla Hydropower Project in Taraba State.

The arbitration arises from Sunrise’s claim of $2.3 billion in compensation, alleging a breach of an alleged 2003 contract with the Federal Government.

Sunrise, established by Chief Leno Adesanya, claims that the compensation accounts for costs related to financial and legal consultancy. However, both former presidents testified that the contract in question was never legitimately awarded.

A source present at the proceedings mentioned that Obasanjo and Buhari were fully committed to “defending Nigeria’s interests.”

“The source emphasized the significance for the nation’s case that Lateef Fagbemi, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, successfully secured testimonies from two former presidents—Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari—at the hearing.”

Through this action, the Nigerian government demonstrated its strong dedication to safeguarding the nation’s interests.

Both leaders, Obasanjo and Buhari, are recognized for speaking directly and clearly, which they reportedly demonstrated in Paris.

The international legal team representing Nigeria was thrilled as the two former presidents performed exceptionally well, revealing Sunrise/Leno’s claim to be an attempt at using fraud, deceit, and lies to extract a settlement from Nigeria. This stemmed from allegations of violating a 2003 contract that lacked valid approval in the first place.

The source referred to Nigeria’s witnesses as a unified group called “Team Nigeria.”

Overall, it was an impressive event, strengthened by the equally remarkable testimonies of former ministers Engineer Sulaiman Adamu from Water Resources and Babatunde Raji Fashola from Power.

The Arbitration Court in France conducted a week-long hearing from January 18th to 23rd in Paris regarding the ongoing dispute between Sunrise Company/Leno Adesanya and the Nigerian government. The conflict centers on whether or not there is a contract for constructing the Mambilla Power Project.

While the chairman and tribunal members are responsible for determining who is right or wrong, it can be stated that Nigeria performed well based on certain facts emerging from Paris.

Obasanjo and Buhari also rejected Sunrise’s claims based on a letter purportedly signed in 2003 by the then-Minister of Power, Dr. Olu Agunloye. They contended that the letter was issued just 24 hours after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had turned down the company’s contract proposal.

Dr. Agunloye is presently on trial in Abuja, facing charges of forgery, defiance of a presidential directive, and corruption connected to the project. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleges that he awarded the contract unilaterally without securing required approvals or budgetary allocations.

Agunloye argues in his defense that he is being made a scapegoat to weaken Sunrise’s case. He alleges this is due to personal conflicts between Obasanjo and other political figures, such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Leno Adesanya, the founder of Sunrise.

Sunrise’s inability to present important witnesses further undermined its case. Agunloye, the individual purportedly responsible for signing the disputed letter, did not provide testimony, and neither did a Senegalese national who was deemed an essential witness.

In an interview with Premium Times, Obasanjo explained that he offered to testify in order to refute what he described as “atrocious” claims. He stated, “I chose to provide testimony due to the remarks made by Olu Agunloye on this issue. I found his assertions outrageous and felt compelled to clarify the facts.”

The ICC hearing, held from January 18 to 23, will assess the legitimacy of the 2003 contract and decide if Nigeria is responsible for paying Sunrise the $2.3 billion in compensation they are seeking. Meanwhile, Buhari returned to Nigeria on Friday after providing his testimony in Paris.

As the arbitration proceeds, Agunloye is dealing with additional legal issues, as a revised seven-count charge of corruption has been brought against him in Abuja. The charges encompass accusations of forgery and disregarding a presidential directive related to the Mambilla project. Nevertheless, Agunloye has rejected these allegations.

Peoplesmind