$6bn Mambilla Contract Award Was Invalid, Imoke Tells Court

A former Minister of Power, Liyel Imoke, on Wednesday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, that the award of the $6 billion Mambilla Power Project contract to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited was invalid.

Imoke, the sixth prosecution witness (PW6), testified before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, who is facing an amended seven-count charge bordering on official corruption and fraudulent award of the contract while in office between 2002 and 2003.

At Monday’s proceedings, Imoke, while concluding his cross-examination by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) did not approve the award of the contract to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited, adding that the contract award was invalid.

Asked whether he participated in any FEC meeting where the conclusions of the May 21, 2003 meeting were adopted, Imoke said he was sworn in on July 15, 2003, not August as earlier mentioned, and that records showed he participated in the July 2003 FEC meeting where the minutes of the 16th FEC meeting of May 21, 2003 were adopted, adding that the proceedings of the 17th FEC meeting were not part of the exhibit file.

On the difference between the extract of the meeting and the full conclusions, he explained that extracts are usually sent to whichever ministry a particular memo referred to, while the full Council conclusions are maintained and distributed to offices under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Showu exhibit EFCC 3K and Exhibit EFCC 3D, the letters from the Ministry of Power forwarding the conclusions of the FEC meeting and the extract of the meeting, the witness said they were the same in substance and form.

Asked to confirm whether during his tenure as Minister he proposed that contracts be awarded on a build, operate and transfer basis or outright purchase, he said he could not recall.

At the end of the cross-examination, prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed (SAN), sought an adjournment to enable him to deal with new issues that arose during the cross-examination.

Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter to November 19, 2026, for re-examination of witnesses.