Former President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria after appearing before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court of Arbitration in Paris, France. Buhari testified in a $2.3 billion arbitration case filed against Nigeria by Sunrise Power.
The news of his return was shared via a video posted on Friday by Bashir Ahmad, the former Special Assistant on Digital Communications, on X (formerly Twitter). In the clip, Buhari was seen disembarking from an aircraft after his trip from Paris.
Ahmad captioned the video, “Former President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria after defending the country before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris in connection with the $2.3 billion arbitration case filed by Sunrise Power.”
Buhari was summoned to testify in connection with the $6 billion Mambilla power project dispute. The presidency denied allegations that the former president was pressured into testifying, maintaining that all individuals defending Nigeria in the case were doing so voluntarily.
It was also reported that former President Olusegun Obasanjo travelled to France to testify in the same case.
The dispute dates back to 2017, when Sunrise Power initiated arbitration against Nigeria, alleging a breach of a 2003 agreement to build a 3,050MW power plant in Mambilla, Taraba State. The $6 billion project was to be executed on a build-operate-transfer basis. Sunrise Power is demanding a $400 million settlement, claiming the government failed to honour a 2020 agreement to resolve the dispute.
Obasanjo has denied authorizing former Minister of Power and Steel Olu Agunloye to commit Nigeria to the $6 billion project. Buhari also stated in February 2024 that he did not approve any settlement agreement with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.
