Atiku Claims Tinubu Is 90 And Sick, Says He Has Evidence To Prove It In Court
Atiku Claims Tinubu Is 90 And Sick, Says He Has Evidence To Prove It In Court
Atiku, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said he considered himself healthy and capable of serving as Nigeria’s president.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old and sick, insisting that he possesses documentary evidence to prove the allegation in court.
Atiku made the claim during an interview with the BBC while defending his decision to continue seeking the Nigerian presidency despite having contested the position several times.
During the interview, Atiku, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said he considered 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.
However, the BBC interviewer challenged the claim, pointing out that Tinubu is not yet 90.
“The president is not yet 90, and we cannot confirm nor deny anything about his age,” the interviewer said.
Atiku responded that he has evidence and records to support his claim, saying he would present them before a court.
“I have evidence and records that he is, and I will present it in court,” he said.
The former vice president was also questioned about why he continues to pursue the presidency after several attempts.
Atiku said his political journey has never been easy, noting that his repeated attempts to attain political office should not be viewed as unusual.
“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.
“And the last was when there was even an attempt on my life, and I went into exile.
“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.”
When asked why Nigerians should consider him the best candidate for president, Atiku invoked his constitutional right to seek 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 made him particularly qualified to lead Nigeria, Atiku described the deteriorating state of the country as a major reason for his continued ambition.
“Because things are not going right. Things are not going right,” he said, listing his experience, competence and patriotism as qualities that distinguished 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 outlined his proposed approach to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, particularly the insurgency and attacks affecting several parts of northern Nigeria.
He said the worsening security situation is largely the result of what he described as government irresponsibility and inadequate attention to Nigeria’s defence needs.
“I believe it is the irresponsibility of government, because they have not paid attention to our defense needs,” he said.
Atiku argued that Nigeria’s security agencies are inadequately staffed and poorly equipped, leaving the country without sufficient personnel to effectively confront criminal and insurgent 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.”
He compared Nigeria’s security personnel numbers with those of Egypt, arguing that the disparity contributes to Nigeria’s security challenges.
“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,” Atiku 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 sector if he becomes president, Atiku promised significant changes within his first year in office.
“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, who has contested the presidency multiple times, is among the major opposition figures contesting the 2027 presidential election.
His comments come amid growing political realignments among opposition politicians seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku has sought Nigeria’s presidency six times across more than three decades, spanning both party primaries and general elections.
His first attempt came in 1993, when he contested the Social Democratic Party primaries and placed third, behind Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe.
He returned to the race in 2007 as the presidential candidate of the Action Congress, finishing third behind Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.
His subsequent attempts came through the Peoples Democratic Party and, briefly, the All Progressives Congress.
In 2011, he contested the PDP presidential primaries but lost the party’s ticket to the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan. In 2015, he crossed to the APC and contested its presidential primaries, again losing out, this time to Muhammadu Buhari.
He returned to the PDP by 2019, securing its presidential ticket and contesting the general election, but lost to Buhari.
His most recent attempt came in 2023, when he again ran as the PDP’s presidential candidate and lost the election to Tinubu.
