WorldStage– A former governor of Cross River State and ex-Minister of Power and Steel, Liyel Imoke, has testified before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) never approved the $6 billion Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project contract awarded to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.
Testifying as the sixth prosecution witness in the corruption trial of former Minister Olu Agunloye, Imoke told Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie that the contract lacked necessary council backing.
Agunloye faces a seven-count EFCC charge regarding the alleged fraudulent contract award between 2002 and 2003.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Adeola Adedipe (SAN), Imoke reiterated that records from a May 21, 2003 FEC meeting showed the council actually ordered the withdrawal of the contract memo.
He stated that subsequent July 2003 meeting minutes—which he attended after taking office—formally adopted the directive.
The court adjourned the case to November 19, 2026, following a recent legal victory where an International Chamber of Commerce tribunal in Paris dismissed Sunrise Power’s $2.35 billion arbitration claim against Nigeria.
