Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has committed to making himself available to testify in any court or forum regarding the controversial award of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
This was disclosed by an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Umar Babangida, who testified before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the federal high court in Abuja on Monday in the trial of Olu Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel.
Naijaonpoint reports that Agunloye is facing an amended seven-count charge bordering on disobeying presidential directives, gratification, and forgery in connection with the Mambilla power project.
During cross-examination by Agunloye’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, the EFCC witness, Babangida, revealed that Obasanjo wrote a letter to the Attorney-General of the Federation in November 2023, stating his commitment to testify “in any arbitration court or forum when the need arises in the spirit of national interest.”
The prosecution alleges that Agunloye, on May 22, 2003, knowingly disobeyed a directive from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on May 21, 2003, by approving a contract with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL) for the construction of the 3,960 MW Mambilla hydroelectric power station.
Babangida testified that Obasanjo’s responses during interrogation strongly support the prosecution’s case.
“During our interrogation with President Obasanjo, he said he was aware of the contract, but there was no approval; this was clearly documented during the Federal Executive Council meeting,” NAIJAONPOINT said, according to an EFCC statement.
The former President also stated that no contract was awarded to Sunrise Power during his tenure because there was no approval for the award of such contracts, and he was unaware of the existence of the contract award letter dated May 27, 2003.
The EFCC further alleged that Agunloye signed a letter addressed to SPTCL conveying the “approval of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” and conspired with Leno Adesanya of Sunrise Power (who is at large) to use a false document to induce the federal government into the contract.
The local prosecution of Agunloye is closely linked to an international dispute. Sunrise Power is currently in arbitration with the Nigerian government at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France, seeking damages for alleged breach of the contract.
Obasanjo and the late former President Muhammadu Buhari previously testified for Nigeria in the $2.3 billion arbitration proceedings at the ICC in January 2025, disputing Sunrise Power’s claims of a valid contract.
Obasanjo had also publicly challenged Agunloye in a 2023 interview with The Cable to state where he derived the authority to award the multi-billion dollar contract to Sunrise.
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