By Sabiu Abdullahi
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over an unauthorised payment made into one of his private bank accounts by an unidentified person.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the transaction was described as a “Contribution Electioneering Campaign” but was neither requested nor approved by him or his campaign organisation.
His Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
The statement described the circumstances surrounding the transaction as “deeply troubling” and questioned how an unknown person obtained details of an account whose information is not publicly available.
“The transfer originated from a person totally unknown to His Excellency,” the statement reads.
“Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment.”
Atiku questioned the source of the information used to make the payment, particularly because the affected account is a private one.
“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.
‘NO NIGERIAN’S FINANCIAL PRIVACY IS SAFE’
The former vice-president said the incident raised concerns that could extend beyond his personal circumstances.
He argued that unauthorised access to the banking information of a former vice-president and presidential candidate could indicate a broader threat to 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 warned about the potential consequences if the information had been obtained through people with privileged access to banking records.
“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 presidential candidate linked the development to what he described as a series of “suspicious activities” ahead of the 2027 general election.
Despite the incident, Atiku said he would remain focused on his political objectives and would not allow the development to distract him.
“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.”