By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old, saying he has evidence to support the allegation and will present it in court.

Atiku made the claim in an interview with the BBC Hausa, published on Friday, August 28, 2026, while responding to questions about his age and his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The former vice-president, who will be approaching 80 by the time of the 2027 election, was asked whether his age could affect his ability to serve a four-year presidential term.

Rather than dwell on his own age, Atiku questioned the concern by referring to Tinubu.

“You went and voted for someone who is 80, I mean 90 years old. How old is President Bola, 90?” Atiku asked during the interview.

He subsequently insisted that his assertion about Tinubu’s age was backed by evidence, although he did not present the evidence during the interview.

“You have a President who is 90 years old now and sick. I am healthy; I am strong. So why would I not make my services available to my fellow countrymen?” Atiku said.

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

There is currently no independently verified evidence in the reports of the interview establishing that Tinubu is 90 years old. Officially available biographical records state that Tinubu was born on March 29, 1952, which would make him 74 years old as of August 2026. Atiku’s claim should therefore be treated as an allegation until the evidence he referred to is produced and independently verified.

The age controversy emerged as Atiku defended his decision to seek the presidency again despite concerns about his age.

He argued that his political experience, competence and patriotism remained relevant to his ambition to lead Nigeria.

“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 said.

Atiku, who served as vice-president from 1999 to 2007 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has contested the presidency several times, including as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in 2019 and 2023.

He is now seeking the presidency on the platform of the ADC ahead of the 2027 general election.

The former vice-president also used the interview to speak about Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, arguing that inadequate investment in security and what he described as government irresponsibility had contributed to the crisis.

He expressed confidence that his administration could significantly improve the security situation within one year if elected.

“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,” Atiku said.