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The promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, Leno Adesanya, has rejected attempts to portray him as politically aligned with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, insisting that his interest in the controversial Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project has always been its successful development rather than political patronage.
In a statement, Adesanya said attempts to link him politically with the two former government officials were being promoted by what he described as “mischief-doers and political detractors” seeking to create a misleading impression about his role in the long-running Mambilla project dispute.
He maintained that his involvement in the project had been driven by business and developmental interests, stressing that personal relationships or business associations should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of political affiliation or ulterior motives.
Adesanya, who spoke against the backdrop of renewed attention on the Mambilla project following the recent resolution of the arbitration dispute between Sunrise Power and the Federal Government, said his overriding concern remained seeing the multi-billion-dollar power project become a reality.
“I wrote several times, even against the advice of my lawyers, to settle amicably towards the development of the project,” he said.
The Sunrise promoter also sought to distance himself from suggestions that his association with Atiku or Dasuki was evidence of political patronage.
According to him, his career and business activities over several decades had brought him into contact with people across Nigeria’s political, business and professional landscape.
He said he began his banking career with Citibank in the 1980s before building businesses, particularly in the energy sector, adding that his relationships with influential Nigerians predated or existed independently of the Mambilla controversy.
“Some of the dates of association have no significant relevance to the Mambilla hydro project,” he said.
Adesanya further declared his support for President Bola Tinubu, saying: “I am a Yoruba man and more Tinubu than Atiku.”
He explained that his support for Tinubu was based not only on ethnic identity but also on his long-standing relationship with the President.
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“I want the Tinubu administration to succeed,” he said, adding that he had made repeated efforts to encourage an amicable resolution of the issues surrounding Mambilla.
His comments came as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to clear the legal and contractual obstacles that have stalled the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project for years.
The government recently announced that an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal in Paris had ruled in Nigeria’s favour in the dispute with Sunrise Power, removing what officials described as a major legal hurdle to the long-delayed project.
President Tinubu subsequently welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant development that would enable the government to move forward with efforts to develop the Mambilla project.
The proposed hydroelectric project, located in Taraba State, is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most ambitious power-generation projects. Successive administrations have struggled to resolve contractual, financing and legal issues that have hindered its implementation.
In 2017, the Federal Government signed a $5.792 billion contract for the project, which was designed to generate 3,050 megawatts of electricity.
For Adesanya, however, the latest development should provide an opportunity to shift attention away from the political and legal controversies that have dogged the project and towards its actual delivery.
He stressed that the enormous power-generation potential of Mambilla should take precedence over arguments about political associations and past relationships.
Adesanya reiterated his desire to see the project completed, saying its development should transcend political differences and competing narratives.
He said his ultimate interest remained the successful execution of Mambilla and its contribution to Nigeria’s electricity supply, industrial growth and broader economic development.
