Atiku: I have evidence Tinubu is 90, will present it in court

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old, saying he has evidence to support the allegation.

Atiku made the claim in an interview with the BBC while responding to questions about his age and his suitability to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The former vice-president, who is approaching 80, argued that his age should not be used to question his capacity to lead the country, particularly when he considers himself physically fit.

“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 said.

He further claimed that he could substantiate his allegation concerning Tinubu’s age through legal proceedings.

“I have evidence that he is [90], and I will present it in court,” he said.

Atiku also defended his decision to seek the presidency again, describing his ambition as part of a long political journey marked by repeated setbacks.

He recalled contesting for governor on four occasions, saying his bids were frustrated by military authorities during 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,” he said.

According to Atiku, his political activities also exposed him to serious personal risks, including what he described as an attempt on his life that forced him into exile.

“I’ve never found anything easy in my life. There is nothing new there,” he said, arguing that previous presidential contests should not prevent him from seeking the office again.

Atiku said his experience, competence and patriotism remained the reasons he believed he could contribute to Nigeria’s development.

“I have the experience, I have the competence, I have the patriotism. So why would I not make all this available to the service of my country?” he asked.

On insecurity, the ADC candidate blamed the continued crisis on what he described as government irresponsibility and inadequate attention to the country’s security needs.

He recalled raising concerns about the size of Nigeria’s police force during his time in government, comparing the country’s security personnel with those of Egypt.

“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,” Atiku said.

He argued that Nigeria could make significant progress against insurgency and insecurity with stronger investment in security and more effective leadership.

“Believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” he said.