Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns after an unknown person paid money into one of his private bank accounts.
Atiku said the transfer, described as a “Contribution Electioneering Campaign”, was neither requested nor authorised by him or his campaign.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the circumstances surrounding the transaction as “deeply troubling”.
According to the statement, the bank account is a private one and its details are not in the public domain.
“The transfer originated from a person totally unknown to His Excellency.
“Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment.”
Atiku questioned how an unknown individual obtained the details of his private bank account.
“The account is a strictly private one whose details are not in the public domain. This raises a fundamental question: How did unknown persons obtain the confidential banking details of a private citizen?” he asked.
The former vice-president said the incident raises wider concerns about the security of Nigerians’ financial information.
“If the private banking information of a former Vice President and a leading presidential candidate can be accessed and deployed for reasons yet unknown, then no Nigerian’s financial privacy is safe,” he said.
Atiku also expressed concern that the account details may have been obtained by individuals with privileged access.
“If established, this would amount to a grave abuse of power capable of exposing the account holder to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, fraudsters and other criminal elements,” the statement added.
He described the incident as one in a series of “suspicious activities” ahead of the 2027 general election.
The ADC presidential candidate said the development would not distract him from his political ambition.
“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination,” he added.
“Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again. The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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