Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over an alleged unauthorised credit into one of his private bank accounts, claiming the incident suggests that his confidential banking details may have been compromised.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, the transaction originated from an individual unknown to the former vice president and carried the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
The statement stressed that Atiku and his campaign neither requested nor authorised the payment and had no knowledge of the individual or organisation responsible for the transfer.
“Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment,” the statement said.
Atiku’s camp described the circumstances surrounding the transaction as troubling, noting that the bank account is a strictly private one whose details are not publicly available.
“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?” the statement added.
The former vice president argued that the incident raises wider concerns about the security of Nigerians’ financial information, saying that if the banking details of a former vice president and presidential candidate could be accessed without authorisation, the privacy of ordinary citizens could also be at risk.
He further expressed concern that the account information may have been obtained through individuals with privileged access to confidential banking records.
“Even more disturbing is the suspicion that such confidential information may have been obtained through persons with privileged access,” the statement said.
According to Atiku, any confirmed breach of confidential banking information would constitute a serious abuse of power and could expose account holders to threats from kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, fraudsters and other criminal elements.
The ADC presidential candidate said security agencies and the Nigerian public had been alerted to the development, which he described as one of several suspicious incidents occurring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We therefore put the Nigerian public — and the security agencies — on notice about this latest incident in a litany of suspicious activities leading up to next year’s general elections,” the statement read.
Atiku also urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as attempts to tarnish his reputation as political activities intensify ahead of the polls.
“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination. Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again,” the statement said.
Reaffirming his political focus, the former vice president said he remains committed to offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the country’s challenges.
“The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges,” the statement concluded.
