By Tolulope Oke

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over a suspicious credit into his private bank account, alleging that unknown persons may have compromised his confidential banking details ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said an unidentified individual transferred money into the account with the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign”, despite neither him nor his campaign team authorising or having knowledge of the payment.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president described the transaction as disturbing, questioning how the details of a private account could have been obtained by unknown persons.

“Neither His Excellency nor his campaign solicited, authorised or has any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the unauthorised payment,” the statement said.

Atiku said the account was strictly private and its details were not publicly available, raising concerns over possible access by individuals with privileged information.

“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 added.

The ADC candidate warned that the development raised wider concerns about the protection of Nigerians’ financial privacy, arguing that if the banking information of a former vice president and presidential candidate could allegedly be accessed, ordinary citizens could also be vulnerable.

“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 further expressed concern that the alleged access to his banking information may have involved persons with privileged access.

According to him, any unauthorised exposure of private financial details could create serious security risks for account holders.

“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 read.

Atiku said security agencies and Nigerians had been notified of the development, describing it as part of what he called a series of suspicious activities as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.