The Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Sunday Dare, has accused African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of attempting to divert public attention from issues surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
Dare made the allegation while reacting to a recent International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration ruling concerning a dispute between Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government of Nigeria over the Mambilla project in Taraba State.
According to Dare, Atiku’s recent press conference amounted to an attempt to shift the public conversation away from the controversy surrounding the project.
In a post on X on Friday, Dare described Atiku’s comments as an effort to redirect attention from what he characterised as unresolved questions surrounding the former vice-president’s record in government.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s recent theatrical press conference, characterised by haughty condescension and an unbecoming disregard for the high office of the President of Nigeria, is nothing short of self-deprecation,” Dare said.
He further alleged that Atiku was attempting to use his intervention on economic issues to reshape public perception of his political record.
“Stripped of its populist posturing, Atiku’s outburst is a transparent attempt to launder his public image and distract a discerning populace from the suffocating weight of his past,” he added.
Dare Raises Questions Over Mambilla Project
Dare also criticised Atiku for focusing on economic policy and the performance of the Tinubu administration rather than addressing questions surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
He alleged that the project, which was conceived as a major infrastructure investment for Nigeria, had been affected by competing private interests.
“The Mambilla Hydro Power Project, which should have been a cornerstone of Nigeria’s industrial capacity and a lifeline for Taraba State, was weaponised as a vehicle for private accumulation,” Dare alleged.
The presidential aide also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies while criticising Atiku’s record in government.
“Nigerians do not need lectures on fiscal management from a political wanderer whose decades-long pursuit of the presidency has been defined by perpetual opportunism,” Dare said.
He argued that President Tinubu was undertaking what he described as difficult reforms aimed at restructuring Nigeria’s economy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing the heavy, foundational lifting required to restructure an economy crippled by decades of structural inertia and subsidy hemorrhaging,” he added.
Dare Challenges Atiku Over His Record in Government
Dare also questioned Atiku’s record during his time in government, particularly his role as Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and his involvement in economic affairs.
“If his past stewardship as Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and overseer of the nation’s economy is any metric, his blueprint is already an open book, one annotated with controversies, privatisations of public patrimony, and international inquiries,” he said.
Dare subsequently called on Atiku to address what he described as lingering questions surrounding the Mambilla controversy and his record in public office.
“Atiku Abubakar must understand a fundamental truth: political power in a modern democracy is anchored on moral authority. He cannot bypass accountability, wave away judicial and arbitral indictments in foreign capitals, and expect Nigerians to embrace him as an alternative,” Dare maintained.
He added that Atiku should address the allegations and controversies associated with his past before seeking to present himself as an alternative to the current administration.
The comments come amid renewed public attention on the long-running Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project dispute and the latest ICC arbitration proceedings involving Sunrise Power and the Federal Government.