Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old, saying he has evidence to support the allegation and will present it in court.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 election, made the claim during an interview with the BBC while explaining why he believes he is qualified to contest the presidency again.
“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.
“I have evidence that he is 90 and I will present it in court,” he stated.
Atiku Defends Presidential Ambition
The former vice-president said seeking the presidential seat was within his constitutional rights, adding that his long political career had prepared him for the responsibility.
Atiku recalled that he contested for governor four times but was repeatedly disqualified by military authorities during Nigeria’s transition to democracy.
RELATED NEWS:
- 2027: Atiku Must Tell Nigerians How He Plans to Restore Fuel Subsidy — Sambo
- Atiku’s Fuel Subsidy Plan Could Reopen Nigeria’s Economic Bottlenecks – Expert
- 2027: Atiku Promises to Restore Petrol Subsidy if Elected
- Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Not Prioritising Security Spending, Says 5,091 Died in 3 Months
“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 his repeated attempts to become president were not unusual considering the challenges he had faced throughout his political career.
“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.
“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?”
Atiku Blames Government for Insecurity
Speaking on Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, Atiku blamed what he described as the “irresponsibility of government” for the continued crisis.
He said successive administrations had failed to give adequate attention to the country’s defence and security requirements.
“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.
“Egypt that has about 80 million had one million policemen on the streets. And therefore, there is peace there.
“Believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” he said.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.