Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, 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 explaining why he believes he remains qualified to contest the presidency.
“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?” he said.
Atiku added that he would present what he described as evidence of Tinubu’s age in court.
Speaking about his political career, the ADC candidate said his decision to contest the presidency was within his constitutional rights.
He recalled that he had contested for governor four times but was repeatedly disqualified by military authorities overseeing Nigeria’s transition to democracy.
According to him, his opposition to military rule contributed to his repeated disqualifications.
“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,” Atiku said.
He also recalled an alleged attempt on his life, which he said forced him into exile.
Atiku said his repeated attempts to become president were not unusual given his political history, adding that he possessed the experience, competence and patriotism needed to serve the country.
On insecurity, the former vice-president blamed the continued crisis on what he described as government irresponsibility and inadequate attention to the country’s defence and security needs.
Atiku recalled raising concerns about Nigeria’s security personnel while in government, particularly the number of police officers relative to the country’s population.
He compared Nigeria’s police strength with that of Egypt, arguing that the North African country had a much larger police force despite having a smaller population.
Atiku expressed confidence that the country’s insurgency and insecurity could be brought under control within a year if adequate measures were implemented.
