NIGERIA DEFEATS $680M Predatory LAW-SUIT: Tinubu Crushes Mambilla Hydro Legal Stranglehold In Historic ICC Victory!
ABUJA, NIGERIA — In a monumental legal triumph for the nation, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Arbitration Tribunal in Paris has completely rejected a staggering $680 million claim brought against the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and its promoter, Mr. Leno Adesanya.
The breakthrough ruling, delivered today, September 17, 2026, successfully decimates the single largest legal roadblock that has paralyzed the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State for over two decades.
In an official Statehouse statement, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hailed the verdict as a decisive win against “predatory and exploitative claims by corrupt local and international entities.”
The Billion-Dollar Multi-Decade Disagreement
The bitter dispute traces its origins back to an unauthorized 2003 contract to build the power plant under a build-operate-transfer model. The Federal Government has long maintained that the deal was illegal because it never received approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Sunrise Power had weaponized the dispute to demand a $680 million settlement sum, linked to a massive $2.7 billion compensation battle against the country. Today’s ICC ruling flatly dismissed those claims, protecting Nigeria’s commonwealth from a catastrophic financial payout.
A United Front of Past and Present Leaders
The historic defense was bolstered by rare, high-profile testimonies from Nigeria’s top political figures. President Tinubu expressed immense patriotism and gratitude toward former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late President Muhammadu Buhari, both of whom testified in the case to defend the nation’s interests.
Former Ministers Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and Suleiman Adamu also stood as witnesses, alongside investigative support from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Security Adviser.
The legal defense team, spearheaded by Ms. Elizabeth Oger-Gross and Mr. Tolu Obamuroh of Paul Hastings LLP, alongside Attorney-General of the Federation Prince Lateef Fagbemi, was highly commended by the Presidency for their “professional and excellent” execution.
What This Means for Nigeria’s Power Grid
For years, the Mambilla project—envisioned as Nigeria’s largest renewable energy infrastructure—has been frozen in time due to this litigation. With the ICC ruling clearing the legal air, the federal government is now free to seek genuine international investors to revive the multi-billion-dollar dam.
“While our country remains committed to partnering with genuine investors and honoring its legal obligations,” President Tinubu stated, “it will continue to defend all opportunistic claims instituted against our commonwealth strongly.”
