Atiku Raises Alarm Over Unauthorised ‘Campaign’ Payment Into Bank Account

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over an unauthorised payment reportedly made into one of his private bank accounts.
Atiku disclosed the development in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, an unidentified individual transferred money into the account with the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
Atiku said neither he nor his campaign organisation requested, approved or had prior knowledge of the transaction or the identity of the person responsible for it.
Shaibu described the development as particularly troubling because the affected account is a private account whose banking details are not publicly available.
He questioned how an unknown person was able to obtain the former vice president’s confidential banking information.
The statement warned that the incident raised broader concerns about the protection of Nigerians’ financial information, particularly if the private banking details of a former vice president and presidential candidate could allegedly be accessed and used without authorisation.
Atiku urged members of the public and relevant security agencies to pay attention to the incident, describing it as part of what he alleged were suspicious developments occurring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also suggested that the incident could be linked to attempts to damage his reputation as political activities intensify ahead of the election.
The former vice president urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as tactics aimed at tarnishing his character, insisting that such efforts would not succeed.
Shaibu later confirmed to Saturday PUNCH that the matter had been reported to anti-graft agencies for investigation.
The authorities are expected to determine the source of the payment, how the private banking information was obtained and whether the transaction was connected to any unlawful activity.