Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is 90 years old, saying he has evidence to support the allegation and intends to present it in court.
Atiku made the claim during an interview with an online publication while responding to questions about his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election and whether his age and health could affect his ability to serve.
“I have a president who is 90 years old and unwell. I am healthy and strong. So why wouldn’t I make my services available to my countrymen?” Atiku said.
He further claimed that he had documents supporting his assertion about Tinubu’s age.
“I have evidence that he is [90], and I will present it in court,” he stated.
The former vice-president made the allegation while defending his competence and qualification to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku Defends Presidential Ambition
Atiku maintained that seeking the presidency was within his constitutional rights, describing his long political career as one marked by repeated attempts to secure elective office.
He recalled that he contested for governor four times but was disqualified on each occasion by military authorities overseeing Nigeria’s transition to democracy.
“I ran for governor four times because the people in charge of Nigeria’s transition to democracy were military, and I was extremely anti-military,” he said.
According to Atiku, he was disqualified whenever he won and eventually went into exile after what he described as an attempt on his life.
“The last time there was an attempt on my life, I went into exile,” he said.
He added that the challenges he had faced throughout his political career were not new to him, stressing that his journey had never been an easy one.
“In my life, nothing has been easy. There is nothing new here,” Atiku said, arguing that contesting the presidency several times was consistent with his political history.
Atiku Blames Government for Insecurity
The ADC presidential candidate also criticised the government’s handling of Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, attributing the continued crisis to what he described as “government irresponsibility.”
Atiku argued that successive administrations had failed to adequately address the country’s defence and security needs.
He also called for an increase in the number of security personnel, noting that Nigeria’s large population required a much stronger security presence.
“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 with Egypt, Atiku claimed that the North African country had a significantly larger police force relative to its population.
“Egypt, which has a population of almost 80 million, had one million police officers on its streets. Therefore, there is peace there,” he said.
Atiku expressed confidence that Nigeria’s security challenges could be brought under control within a relatively short period if appropriate measures were adopted.
“Believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” he said.
With political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gathering momentum, Atiku is expected to face competition from other presidential aspirants as parties and political coalitions intensify preparations for the polls.