Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has raised concerns after an unknown individual allegedly paid money into one of his private bank accounts without his authorisation.
The former vice-president said the transaction, described as a “Contribution Electioneering Campaign,” was neither solicited nor approved by him or his campaign team.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the circumstances surrounding the payment as “deeply troubling.”
According to the statement, the affected account is strictly private and its details are not publicly available.
“The transfer originated from a person totally unknown to His Excellency,” the statement said, adding that neither Atiku nor his campaign solicited, authorised or had any knowledge of the individual or entity responsible for the payment.
Atiku questioned how the sender 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 ADC candidate warned that the incident could have broader implications for the financial privacy of Nigerians.
“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 raised concerns that his account details may have been obtained by someone with privileged access, describing such a possibility as a serious abuse of power.
The statement warned that unauthorised access to private banking information could expose account holders to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, fraudsters and other criminal elements.
Atiku described the incident as one of several “suspicious activities” occurring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, he said the development would not distract him from his political ambitions, urging Nigerians not to be swayed by what he described as attempts at character assassination.
“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination,” he said.
“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.”
