FORMER Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over what he described as a suspicious and unauthorised payment into one of his private bank accounts, warning that the incident raises serious questions about the security of Nigerians’ financial information.
News Point Nigeria reports that Atiku said the transfer originated from an individual or entity unknown to him and carried the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.” He maintained that neither he nor his campaign solicited, authorised or had any knowledge of the payment.
The concerns were contained in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, the former Vice President stressed that the account in question was strictly private and that its details were not in the public domain, raising concerns about how unknown persons allegedly obtained the confidential banking information.
“How did unknown persons obtain the confidential banking details of a private citizen?” Atiku queried.
He said the development raises broader concerns about the security of Nigerians’ financial information, particularly if the private banking details of a former Vice President and presidential candidate could allegedly be accessed without his consent.
“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 stated.
Atiku further expressed concern that the alleged disclosure could have involved individuals with privileged access to confidential information.
According to him, if such access is established, it could expose account holders to criminal elements, including kidnappers, terrorists, bandits and fraudsters.
The former Vice President also called the attention of Nigerians and security agencies to the incident, describing it as part of what he termed a series of “suspicious activities” 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 said.
Atiku also alleged that the incident could be part of an attempt to damage his reputation as political activities intensify ahead of the elections.
He urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as “tired tactics” aimed at character assassination.
“Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again,” he added.
The ADC presidential candidate reaffirmed that he remains focused on his political agenda and his stated commitment to providing solutions to the country’s challenges.
“The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges,” the statement said.