Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has raised an alarm after discovering a suspicious credit alert in his undisclosed personal bank account.
In a Friday statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku disclosed that an unknown sender transferred the funds accompanied by the memo, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
Distance-marking the candidate from the transaction, Shaibu declared, “Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment.”
The presidential contender called the entire situation “deeply troubling” because the targeted bank account is strictly confidential.
“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 statement questioned.
Highlighting the wider implications of the breach, Atiku warned, “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 also pointed toward potential institutional leaks as the source of the compromise.
“Even more disturbing is the suspicion that such confidential information may have been obtained through persons with privileged access,” the statement noted.
Outlining the personal hazards involved, the statement added, “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.”
Atiku confirmed that law enforcement and security authorities have been notified, characterizing the incident as part of a unsettling trend of dirty maneuvers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
