Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made a controversial claim about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging that the Nigerian leader is 90 years old and sick.
Atiku insisted that he has documentary evidence and records to substantiate the claim and said he would present them before a court.
The former vice president made the allegation during an interview with the BBC while explaining why he continues to pursue the Nigerian presidency despite having contested the position several times.
Atiku, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said he considers himself healthy and capable of serving as Nigeria’s president.
“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 interviewer challenged Atiku’s claim about Tinubu’s age, pointing out that the president is not yet 90.
“The president is not yet 90, and we cannot confirm nor deny anything about his age,” the interviewer said.
Atiku, however, stood by his allegation and maintained that he had evidence to support it.
“I have evidence and records that he is, and I will present it in court,” he said.
The explosive claim is likely to generate fresh political controversy as Nigeria gradually moves towards the 2027 presidential election, with opposition politicians and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) already positioning themselves for a major political battle.
Atiku was also questioned about why he has continued to seek the presidency after several unsuccessful attempts.
In response, he said his political journey had never been straightforward, recalling his repeated attempts to become governor and the challenges he faced under military rule.
“I ran for governor four times, because at that position, the people who were in charge of our transition to democracy were military, and I was so anti-military that any time I won, they would disqualify me,” he said.
Atiku further recalled that there was an attempt on his life, which eventually forced him into exile.
“And the last was when there was even an attempt on my life, and I went into exile,” he said.
He argued that his repeated attempts at political office should therefore not be considered unusual given his political history.
“So 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 life, in my political life,” Atiku said.
When asked why Nigerians should consider him the best candidate for president, Atiku pointed to his constitutional right to contest elective office.
“I am strong. I am healthy. I am agile. Why do you bother about my constitutional rights?” he said.
Pressed further on what particularly qualifies him to lead Nigeria, Atiku pointed to what he described as the worsening condition of the country.
“Because things are not going right. Things are not going right,” he said.
He listed experience, competence and patriotism among the qualities he believes distinguish him.
“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.
Atiku also spoke about Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, particularly the insurgency and attacks affecting several parts of northern Nigeria.
He blamed the deteriorating security situation largely on what he described as government irresponsibility and inadequate attention to the country’s defence requirements.
“I believe it is the irresponsibility of government, because they have not paid attention to our defense needs,” Atiku said.
According to him, Nigeria’s defence and security agencies are undermanned and inadequately equipped, making it difficult for them to effectively confront insurgents, bandits and other criminal groups.
“One, the defence is undermanned,” he said. “In other words, we have not had enough boots on ground in this country, and not good equipment.”
Atiku compared Nigeria’s security personnel numbers with those of Egypt, arguing that the size of Nigeria’s population requires a much larger security workforce.
“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 (people) had one million policemen on the streets. And therefore, there is peace there.”
Asked how quickly Nigerians should expect improvements in the security situation if he becomes president, Atiku promised that his administration would begin making significant changes within its first year.
“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’s comments come amid growing political realignments among opposition politicians seeking to challenge the APC and Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The former vice president has sought the Nigerian presidency multiple times over more than three decades, making his latest bid another chapter in a long political career.
His first attempt came in 1993, when he contested the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential primaries and finished third behind Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe.
He returned to the presidential race in 2007 as the presidential candidate of the Action Congress, finishing third behind Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.
In 2011, he contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries but lost the party’s ticket to then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
In 2015, Atiku moved to the APC and contested its presidential primaries, but again lost the party’s ticket, this time to Muhammadu Buhari.
He subsequently returned to the PDP and secured its presidential ticket in 2019, challenging Buhari in the general election but losing to the incumbent.
In 2023, Atiku again emerged as the PDP’s presidential candidate and contested the general election against Tinubu, who eventually won the election.
With the 2027 political contest already taking shape, Atiku’s latest comments have added another explosive issue to the growing political confrontation.
His allegation concerning Tinubu’s age and health remains a claim made by Atiku, who says he possesses evidence and records to support it and has indicated that he is prepared to present them in court.