Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns after an alleged unauthorised payment was made into one of his private bank accounts.
Atiku described the transaction as suspicious, saying neither he nor his campaign team requested, approved or had prior knowledge of the payment.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, the transfer came from an unknown individual or organisation and carried the narration: “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
Atiku explained that the bank account involved is a private account whose details are not publicly available, raising questions about how the account information was obtained.
He questioned the security of Nigerians’ financial data, asking how confidential banking details belonging to a private citizen could allegedly be accessed by unknown persons.
“How did unknown persons obtain the confidential banking details of a private citizen?” Atiku asked.
The former Vice President warned that if the private banking details of a former Vice President and presidential candidate could allegedly be accessed without consent, then the financial privacy of ordinary Nigerians could also be at risk.
He expressed concern that the incident may have involved individuals with privileged access to confidential banking information.
According to Atiku, if such access is confirmed, it could expose account holders to criminals, including kidnappers, terrorists, bandits and fraudsters.
He also called on security agencies to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The ADC presidential candidate further described the incident as one of several suspicious developments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the alleged payment could be part of an attempt to damage his reputation as political activities gather momentum.
Atiku urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as attempts at character assassination, insisting that similar tactics had failed in the past.
He maintained that he remains committed to offering credible leadership and practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges ahead of the next general election.
