The presidency has refuted claims that President Bola Tinubu compelled former President Muhammadu Buhari to testify in an arbitration case over the $6 billion Mambilla power contract dispute.
Recent reports suggested Buhari was pressured to appear before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, where Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited is in arbitration with Nigeria over alleged breach of contract.
In a statement on Saturday, the presidency clarified that no individual had been coerced to participate in the proceedings.
The dispute stems from a “build, operate and transfer” contract signed in 2003 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
Obasanjo has denied authorizing the contract, while Buhari, in February 2024, also disassociated himself from any settlement agreements related to the Mambilla hydroelectric power project.
PRESIDENCY: ALL NIGERIANS INVOLVED DOING SO WILLINGLY
In a statement issued late on Saturday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said no one was forced to testify in the matter — but said the proceeding is meant to be confidential.
Onanuga said “all the eminent Nigerians involved in Nigeria’s defence are doing so willingly and out of sheer patriotism and conviction”.
“The private proceeding, which should not have been reported in the media, is entirely confidential until the international arbitrators decide,” the statement reads.
“While respecting the confidentiality of the proceeding, we wish to state categorically that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not forced anyone to testify for or to refrain from testifying against Nigeria.
“All the eminent Nigerians involved in Nigeria’s defence are doing so willingly and out of sheer patriotism and conviction. President Tinubu and the entire country are grateful to them.”