Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns after an unidentified person allegedly transferred money into one of his private bank accounts without his knowledge or authorisation.
The transaction was reportedly labelled “Contribution Electioneering Campaign,” despite Atiku insisting that neither he nor his campaign solicited or authorised the payment.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the circumstances surrounding the transaction as “deeply troubling,” particularly because the affected account is private and its details are not publicly available.
“The transfer originated from a person totally unknown to His Excellency. Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment.”
Atiku questioned how an unknown person could have obtained confidential details of an account he said had never been made public.
“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 former vice president said the incident raises broader concerns about the protection of Nigerians’ financial information.
According to him, if confidential banking information belonging to a former vice president and presidential candidate could allegedly be accessed by unknown individuals, ordinary Nigerians could potentially face similar risks.
“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.”
Atiku also raised the possibility that the account information could have been obtained by individuals with privileged access, although he did not provide evidence identifying who was responsible.
His statement argued that such access, if established, could constitute a serious abuse and potentially expose account holders to security threats, including fraudsters, kidnappers, terrorists and bandits.
Atiku further linked the incident to what he described as a series of suspicious developments as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general election.
However, he maintained that the episode would not distract him from his political campaign.
“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination.”
He added:
“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.”
Atiku did not identify the amount transferred or the individual behind the transaction in the statement.
There was also no indication in the statement that the bank involved or relevant security agencies had established how the sender obtained the account details or the motive behind the payment.
How did this story make you feel?
Join the conversation
Share a thoughtful response. Submissions may be reviewed before appearing.
Reader responses are closed on older stories.
