Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised an alarm over a suspicious credit into one of his private bank accounts with a commercial bank in Nigeria.
The transfer, which Atiku said he neither solicited nor authorised, originated from an individual unknown to him and carried the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
In a statement issued on Friday, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaib, said neither Atiku nor his campaign authorised or solicited the payment and that the former vice president had no knowledge of the individual or entity behind the transfer.
He said the circumstances surrounding the transaction were troubling, particularly because the account was a private one whose details were not in the public domain.
This, according to him, raised questions about how unknown persons obtained the confidential banking details of a former vice president and presidential candidate.
“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 said.
He expressed concern that the information may have been obtained through individuals with privileged access, adding that, if established, such a development could expose the account holder to kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, fraudsters and other criminal elements.
Shaibu consequently put the Nigerian public and security agencies on notice over the incident, describing it as part of what he called a series of suspicious activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also accused unnamed individuals of attempting to engage in character assassination, saying such tactics would not distract Atiku from his political ambitions.
“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination,” he said.
Shaibu added that Atiku remained focused on offering Nigerians what he described as credible leadership and practical solutions to the country’s challenges.