Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised fresh concerns over the alleged compromise of his private banking information and demanded that the Presidency identify officials implicated in the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal.
In separate reactions issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questioned how confidential information linked to one of his personal bank accounts allegedly became accessible to an unidentified person.
He said the development was not merely a personal matter but raised wider concerns about the security of Nigerians’ financial information.
According to Atiku’s statement, an unidentified individual transferred money into one of his private accounts with a leading Nigerian commercial bank.
The transaction reportedly carried the narration, “Contribution Electioneering Campaign.”
Atiku said neither he nor his campaign organisation requested, authorised or had prior knowledge of the payment.
He stressed that the account was strictly private and that its details had never been made publicly available, prompting him to question how the information could have been obtained.
“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 former Vice President warned that if his banking information could allegedly be accessed without authorisation, ordinary Nigerians could also face serious risks.
“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,” the statement said.
Atiku suggested that the alleged exposure of his banking information could point to the involvement of individuals with privileged access to sensitive financial data.
He warned that compromised financial information could expose citizens to criminal threats, including fraud, kidnapping, terrorism and banditry.
The matter, according to the statement, has been brought to the attention of Nigerians and relevant security agencies.
Atiku also urged the public to disregard what he described as attempts to damage his reputation, insisting that he remained focused on his presidential ambition and his plans for Nigeria.
“The Waziri Adamawa remains focused on offering Nigerians credible leadership and practical solutions to the nation’s challenges,” the statement added.
The former Vice President also criticised the Presidency over the interim report of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) concerning the PFIPC controversy.
Atiku rejected any attempt to present the report as a complete exoneration of the Presidency, arguing that findings reportedly contained in the document raise questions about alleged “negligence and connivance” within government processes.
According to Atiku, the report details an elaborate scheme in which an individual allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter, established a fictitious federal agency, took over offices and instruments associated with the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council, opened bank accounts using forged legislative documents and impersonated government officials.
He also alleged that two additional fictitious government agencies were created in the process.
“Yet Nigerians are being told that State House systems were ‘above board.’ Both claims cannot comfortably coexist,” Atiku said.
He challenged the government to identify the officials whose alleged negligence or involvement allowed the scheme to operate within government structures.
“If there was connivance, who connived? If public officers were negligent, who are they? Who granted access to government offices? Who recognised this supposed Director-General? Who enabled him to operate within the machinery of government?” he asked.
Atiku argued that any recommendation for sanctions against officials whose negligence allegedly facilitated the operation would contradict the portrayal of the matter as the work of a lone impostor.
“A fake agency does not walk into government offices by itself. A forged appointment letter does not validate itself. Bank accounts do not open themselves,” he said.
“Behind every door that opened, every process that was bypassed and every official instrument that was accessed was a human being. Name them.”
Atiku renewed his demand for an independent investigation, saying Nigerians need to know the identities and roles of any insiders who may have facilitated the alleged fraud.
“What the ICPC Interim Report has done, in the main, is to shield the identities of shadow operatives within the presidency who allegedly connived to enable the fraud,” he said.
He called for the full ICPC report to be published and for every public official found culpable to be identified.
The ADC presidential candidate also backed a proposal for the National Assembly to conduct an open investigation, particularly following a reported request by the central figure in the controversy, Mr Adeyemi, to appear before lawmakers in a live-broadcast hearing.
“The Presidency now has nowhere left to hide. If Mr. Adeyemi is prepared to appear publicly, testify under oath, and answer questions before Nigerians, then let him be heard,” Atiku said.
He urged the National Assembly to institute a televised public hearing where witnesses could testify under oath and evidence could be examined openly.
“The Presidency must not attempt to block, gag, or shield anyone connected to this matter. If the Villa is truly clean, it should be the first to welcome live television coverage,” he added.
Atiku maintained that anything short of a transparent process could deepen public suspicion that influential individuals were being protected.
“You cannot admit negligence and connivance within government and simultaneously pronounce the system spotless. That is like washing charcoal and expecting white water.”
He insisted that transparency must extend into the highest levels of government and that the Presidency should not be allowed to investigate itself into exoneration.
“Open the investigation. Put the witnesses under oath. Switch on the cameras. Let Nigerians hear the truth for themselves,” Atiku said.
He ended his demand with a question directed at the Presidency:
“Who inside the Villa opened the door?”
