Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari have given strong evidence against Sunrise Power’s $2.3 billion claim over the Mambilla Power Project in Taraba State at the International Chamber of Commerce Court in Paris.
As reported by the Nation, both former presidents told the court that the government never gave Sunrise Power any contract for the $6 billion power project. They said the company’s claims about a 2003 agreement were not valid.
The case centers on a letter signed by former Power Minister Dr. Olu Agunloye, which was given to Sunrise Power just one day after the Federal Executive Council said no to giving them the contract.
Agunloye is now facing criminal charges in Abuja for forgery and breaking presidential orders about the project. The EFCC says he gave Sunrise Power a contract for the “Construction of 3,960MW Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station” without proper approval or money.
Other top officials backed up what Obasanjo and Buhari said, including current Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi, former Justice Minister Abubakar Malami, former Power Minister Babatunde Fashola, and former Water Resources Minister Suleiman Adamu.
“I chose to testify because of what Olu Agunloye said. I thought his claims were terrible and needed to set things straight,” Obasanjo explained about his testimony.
Agunloye fights back, saying he’s being used unfairly. He claims he’s caught in the middle of old fights between Obasanjo and two other people—former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Sunrise Power’s owner, Leno Adesanya.
The court hearings ran from January 18-23 in Paris. While Sunrise Power wants $2.3 billion for what they say is a broken contract, they haven’t brought any main witnesses to support their case. Even Agunloye, who they hoped would help them, didn’t show up to testify.
Obasanjo pointed out that during his time as president, no minister could make deals worth more than N25 million without getting approval from the president first.
The case started when Sunrise went to court on October 10, 2017, asking for money because they say Nigeria broke their 2003 agreement about building the 3,050MW power plant
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