Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over an unauthorised payment made into one of his private bank accounts, alleging that confidential banking information may have been compromised.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), disclosed this in a statement on Friday, August 7, signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, an individual unknown to Atiku transferred money into the account with the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
The former vice president said neither he nor his campaign authorised, solicited or had prior knowledge of the payment.
“Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment,” the statement read.
Atiku said the transaction was particularly concerning because the account was strictly private and its details were 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?” it added.
He said the alleged access to his banking information raised wider concerns about the safety of Nigerians’ financial data, particularly where sensitive information could fall into the hands of people with criminal or political motives.
“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,” the statement quoted him as saying.
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Atiku also raised the possibility that the information could have been obtained through individuals with privileged access to banking or financial records.
“Even more disturbing is the suspicion that such confidential information may have been obtained through persons with privileged access,” the statement said.
He warned that any confirmed breach could have serious security implications for the account holder.
“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.
The ADC candidate said security agencies and members of the public had been alerted to the development, which he described as part of what he considers a pattern 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 also urged Nigerians to remain focused despite what he described as attempts to damage his reputation as political activities intensify.
“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination,” the statement read.
“Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again,” he added.
The former vice president maintained that he remained focused on his political ambitions and his stated commitment to providing what he described as credible leadership and practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
“The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges,” the statement said.