Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old, insisting that he has evidence to back the allegation and will present it in court.
Atiku made the claim in an interview with the BBC while defending his decision to seek the presidency in 2027 and arguing that age and health should not disqualify him from offering himself for public service.
“I have a president who is 90 years old now, and who is sick. I am healthy; I am strong. So why would I not make my services available to my fellow countrymen?” Atiku asked.
He further maintained that he had documentary evidence to support his claim about Tinubu’s age, saying he would produce it before a court.
“I have evidence that he is [90], and I will present it in court,” he said.
Atiku’s allegation came in response to questions about his own age, suitability and qualification to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC candidate said seeking the presidency remained within his constitutional rights, noting that his political career had been characterised by repeated attempts to secure elective office.
Recalling his political history, Atiku said he contested for governor four times but was repeatedly disqualified by military authorities overseeing Nigeria’s transition to democratic rule.
“I ran for governor four times, because at that position, the people who were in charge of Nigeria’s transition to democracy were military, and I was so anti-military. Any time I won, they would disqualify me. The last was when there was even an attempt on my life, and I went into exile,” he said.
He said the setbacks he encountered throughout his political career had strengthened his resolve, stressing that he had never regarded his political journey as an easy one.
“I’ve never found anything easy in my life. There is nothing new there. So, because I’m contesting the presidency two or three times… I mean, that’s not anything unusual in my life — in my political life,” Atiku said.
Atiku Blames Government for Insecurity
The former vice-president also criticised successive administrations over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, attributing the persistence of insurgency and other security threats to what he described as the “irresponsibility of government”.
Atiku argued that Nigeria had failed to adequately strengthen its security architecture despite its large population, particularly in terms of police personnel.
“I remember when we were in office, I told the president that, look, we are over 200 million people and yet we have less than 200,000 policemen,” he said.
Comparing Nigeria’s security structure with that of Egypt, Atiku claimed that the North African country had a substantially larger police force relative to its population.
“Egypt that has about 80 million had one million policemen on the streets. And therefore, there is peace there,” he said.
He expressed confidence that Nigeria could significantly reduce its security challenges within a relatively short period if appropriate measures were implemented.
“Believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” Atiku said.
The former vice-president is expected to face other presidential contenders as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
