Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has raised an alarm over a “suspicious credit” into one of his private bank accounts domiciled with one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks.
The transfer originated from a person unknown to Atiku, with the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
According to his campaign, neither Atiku nor his campaign solicited, authorised or had any knowledge of the individual or entity behind the payment.
The circumstances surrounding the transfer, the campaign said, were deeply troubling, particularly because the account is strictly private and its details are not in the public domain.
It therefore questioned how unknown persons obtained the confidential banking details of a former Vice President and leading presidential candidate.
The campaign said the incident raised concerns about the security of Nigerians’ financial information, particularly if private banking details could be accessed and used for undisclosed purposes.
It further expressed concern that the information might have been obtained through persons with privileged access, saying that, if established, such a development could expose account holders to criminal elements, including kidnappers, terrorists, bandits and fraudsters.
“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,” the statement said.
The campaign urged Nigerians not to be distracted as political activities gather momentum, describing the incident as part of what it called attempts at character assassination.
It added that Atiku remained focused on providing Nigerians with credible leadership and practical solutions to the country’s challenges.
The statement was signed by Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku.
