Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over an unexplained payment credited to one of his private bank accounts.

Atiku said the transaction, which he described as unauthorised, had raised questions about the security of his confidential banking information.

His Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.

According to the statement, the money was transferred by an individual unknown to Atiku, with the transaction bearing the description, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”

The former vice president said neither he nor his campaign organisation requested or approved the payment.

“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 further questioned how the sender obtained details of an account whose information, he said, was not publicly available.

“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 quoted him as saying.

He warned that the alleged breach could have wider implications for the financial privacy and security of Nigerians, particularly if confidential banking information could be obtained by unauthorised persons.

“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.

The ADC candidate also raised the possibility that the information may have been obtained through people with legitimate access to confidential banking records.

“Even more disturbing is the suspicion that such confidential information may have been obtained through persons with privileged access,” the statement added.

Atiku said the alleged compromise could expose affected individuals to serious security risks, including potential targeting by criminal elements.

“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,” he said.

He said security agencies and members of the public had been informed about the incident, which he linked to what he described as a series of suspicious developments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“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,” Atiku said.

He also urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what he described as attempts to damage his reputation as political activities intensify.

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

Atiku maintained that he remained focused on his political ambition and his plans to provide what he described as credible leadership and practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.