Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over a suspicious credit into one of his private bank accounts, alleging that his confidential banking details may have been compromised.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), disclosed the development in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, an unknown individual transferred money into the account with the narration: “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
“Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment,” the statement said.
Concerns over banking privacy
The statement described the transaction as “deeply troubling,” noting that the 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?”
Atiku warned that the incident raises broader 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 also expressed concern that the banking information may have been accessed by individuals with privileged access.
“Even more disturbing is the suspicion that such confidential information may have been obtained through persons with privileged access.”
Security implications
The former vice president argued that any confirmed breach of confidential banking information could expose citizens to serious security risks.
“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.”
Atiku said security agencies and the Nigerian public had been notified of the development, describing it as part of what he called a series of suspicious events 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 urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as attempts to tarnish 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.”
“Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again.”
The ADC presidential candidate maintained that he remains focused on offering what he described as credible leadership and practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.