ADESANYA DENIES POLITICAL LINKS TO ATIKU, DASUKI

The promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, Leno Adesanya, has denied having political ties to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki over the disputed Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.

Adesanya made the clarification in a statement on Monday amid renewed attention on the long-running dispute between his company and the Federal Government over the project.

He said his involvement in the Mambilla project was driven by his interest in seeing it completed and not by political connections or patronage.

Adesanya acknowledged having interacted with people from different political and professional backgrounds but said such relationships should not be interpreted as evidence of political allegiance.

He also stated that he supports President Bola Tinubu and wants his administration to succeed in developing the Mambilla project.

According to him, he had made several attempts to resolve the dispute amicably, including writing to relevant parties despite advice from his lawyers.

The businessman described attempts to associate him politically with Atiku and Dasuki as efforts to misrepresent his role in the project.

The development follows a recent International Chamber of Commerce arbitration ruling in Paris in favour of Nigeria in the dispute involving Sunrise Power.

The Mambilla project in Taraba State was designed to generate 3,050 megawatts of electricity under a $5.792bn contract signed by the Federal Government in 2017. The project has faced legal, contractual and financing challenges over the years.