’Why Atiku put up $3.25 million mansion on sale’

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has offered his posh Potomac, Maryland, United States luxury mansion for sale.


The seven-bedroom cream-coloured single family brick house on 9731 Sorrel Ave, Potomac, Maryland, which he co-owns with one of his wives, Jennifer Douglas, is listed for $3.25 million on real estate websites, but currently on offer for $2.95 million, according to online newspaper Premium Times.

The newspaper quoted Atiku’s media adviser Paul Ibe as saying the decision to sell it was voluntary and an investment decision.

“Atiku Abubakar is a successful businessman, who has a long history of real estate investments,” Ibe said in response to an enquiry by this newspaper.

“The U.S. home was simply one of such numerous investments. The home was no longer serving the purpose for which it was bought. Consequently, it has to be put up for sale via open auction, a growing and preferred method of selling high end properties. The proceeds thereof will be deployed in business aimed at creating jobs.”

The property gained international notoriety in 2005 after it was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in connection with a bribery scandal involving disgraced former U.S. Congressman, William Jefferson.

A pending offer means a buyer and seller of the property have reached a deal. However, a buyer can still pull out from the deal (which is very unlikely) if they cannot resolve issues like cost of repairs or they cannot get a bank to approve a loan for the purchase of the property.

Atiku and his wife bought the 7,131 square feet house in December 1999 for $1.75 million.

Built in 1988, the house was described on Zillow as one of the finest in the tony neighbourhood of Falconhurst, Potomac, where houses are valued between $2 million and $10 million.

The Atikus’ mansion is a colonial-style building that sits in the middle of a 2.3 acres premises of lush green trees. The mansion has a total of 21 rooms, multiple terraces which are said to be ideal for outdoor parties, a pool sauna, a gazebo, a gourmet kitchen and an outdoor swimming pool.

Sources with knowledge of the state of the mansion, but who requested not to be named because they did not want to be publicly associated with this story, said the Atikus had not lived in the mansion since the politician left office as vice-president in 2007.

It was that after 2007, house service staff lived in the mansion for some years, but the place was later locked up, and had remained unoccupied.