Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says an unknown person has paid money into one of his private bank accounts, raising concerns over a possible compromise of his confidential banking information.

The former vice-president said the transfer, described as a “Contribution Electioneering Campaign”, was neither solicited nor authorised by him or his campaign.

In a statement issued on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku said the circumstances surrounding the transaction were “deeply troubling”.

According to the statement, the account is private, and its details are not in the public domain.

“The transfer originated from a person totally unknown to His Excellency,” the statement reads.

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

Atiku questioned how an unknown individual obtained the details of his private bank account.

“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?” he asked.

The ex-vice-president said if his private banking information could be accessed by unknown persons, the wider implication is that the financial details of ordinary Nigerians were also at risk.

“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 said.

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Atiku also expressed concern that the account details may have been obtained by individuals with privileged access.

“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 added.

He described the incident as one in a series of “suspicious activities” ahead of the 2027 general election.

The ADC standard-bearer added that the incident would not distract him from his political ambitions.

“As political activities gather momentum, Nigerians should not be distracted by these tired tactics that smack of character assassination,” he added.

“Such desperate antics have failed before and will fail again. The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges.”