I Have Evidence to Prove Tinubu is 90, Says Atiku

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, saying he has evidence to prove the allegation in court.

Atiku made the claim in an interview with the BBC while responding to questions about his decision to seek the presidency again and whether age and health should be factors in determining his suitability for the 2027 contest.

The former vice-president argued that his age should not prevent him from offering himself for public service, citing what he described as Tinubu’s age and health.

“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.

Asked about the basis for his claim regarding the President’s age, the ADC candidate said he had evidence and would present it before a court.

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

Atiku’s claim adds a fresh dimension to the long-running political controversy surrounding the age and personal records of Nigerian political leaders.

Tinubu was born on March 29, 1952, according to official records, and is currently 74 years old. Atiku, born on November 25, 1946, is 79.

The former vice-president also defended his decision to remain in the presidential race, saying his repeated attempts to secure the presidency were consistent with his long political career.

He recalled that he contested for governor on four occasions but was disqualified 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.

Atiku added that his political struggles had at one point forced him into exile following what he described as an attempt on his life.

“The last was when there was even an attempt on my life, and I went into exile,” he said.

He said the difficulties he had encountered in politics had never deterred him from pursuing his ambitions.

“I’ve never found anything easy in my life. There is nothing new there,” Atiku said.

The ADC candidate also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, blaming the persistence of insurgency, terrorism and other security threats on what he described as government irresponsibility.

He argued that Nigeria’s security agencies needed a significant increase in manpower to match the country’s growing population.

“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.

Atiku compared Nigeria’s security personnel with those of Egypt, which he said had a much 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 substantially reduce insecurity within a short period if the right policies and resources were deployed.

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

His comments came as political activities ahead of the 2027 general election gather momentum, with opposition parties and potential presidential contenders intensifying consultations and preparations.