Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is 90 years old and said he has documentary evidence to support the allegation.
Atiku made the claim during an interview with the BBC while explaining his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election despite having sought the presidency several times.
“We have a president who is 90 years old now and who is sick, and I am healthy; I am strong, so why would I not make my services available to my fellow countrymen?” Atiku said.
The BBC interviewer challenged the claim, pointing out that Tinubu is not yet 90 and that his actual age could not be independently confirmed.
In response, Atiku insisted that he had evidence and records to support his claim, saying he would present them in court.
“I have evidence and records that he is, and I will present it in court,” he said.
Atiku, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also defended his decision to continue seeking the presidency.
He said his political journey had never been easy and argued that repeated attempts to attain political office were not unusual in his career.
“I have 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 political life,” he said.
Asked why Nigerians should consider him qualified to lead the country, Atiku cited his experience, competence, patriotism and constitutional right to contest.
“I am strong. I am healthy. I am agile. Why do you bother about my constitutional rights?” he said.
He also criticised the state of Nigeria’s security, blaming what he described as government irresponsibility and inadequate attention to the country’s defence needs.
According to Atiku, Nigeria’s security agencies are understaffed and poorly equipped to effectively tackle insurgency, banditry and other forms of insecurity.
He compared Nigeria’s security personnel numbers with those of Egypt, arguing that Nigeria needs more personnel and better equipment to address its security challenges.
Atiku further promised that Nigerians would begin to see significant improvements in the security situation within his first year in office if elected president in 2027.
“I believe within one year, they should be able to see that, and believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” he said.
Atiku is among the major opposition figures seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
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