Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over what he described as a suspicious and unauthorised payment made into one of his private bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the payment was made by an individual or entity unknown to him and carried the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
According to the statement, neither Atiku nor his campaign team solicited, authorised or had prior knowledge of the payment.
The former Vice President said the account was strictly private and its details were not publicly available, raising questions over how the information was obtained.
“How did unknown persons obtain the confidential banking details of a private citizen?” Atiku asked.
He said the incident raised wider concerns about the protection of Nigerians’ financial information, particularly if the private banking details of a former Vice President and presidential candidate could allegedly be accessed without consent.
“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 expressed concern that the alleged disclosure could have involved individuals with privileged access to confidential information.
He warned that if such access was established, it could expose account holders to criminal elements, including kidnappers, terrorists, bandits and fraudsters.
The ADC presidential candidate also drew the attention of Nigerians and security agencies to the incident, describing it as part of what he called a series of “suspicious activities” 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,” he said.
Atiku further alleged that the payment could be part of an attempt to damage his reputation as political activities intensify ahead of the elections.
He urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as “tired tactics” aimed at character assassination.
“Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate said he remained focused on his political agenda and his commitment to providing solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
“The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges,” he added.
