The Presidency has dismissed a claim by the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is 90 years old.
Atiku had made the claim during an interview with the BBC, where he said he possessed evidence to support his allegation about the President’s age.
Reacting to the development, the Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described Atiku’s statement as the “last kick of a dying horse.”
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, Ajayi accused the former vice president of desperation in his pursuit of the presidency.
“For former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, this is the last kick of a dying horse. He will stop at nothing in his desperation for the presidency of Nigeria,” Ajayi said.
The presidential aide questioned why Atiku, who has repeatedly said his campaign would focus on issues affecting Nigerians, had turned his attention to Tinubu’s personal life.
Ajayi described the claim that Tinubu is 90 years old as ridiculous, alleging that Atiku was making statements in an attempt to revive what he described as a struggling campaign.
“We are at a loss as to why a man who said he wants to run his campaign on issues that affect the lives of Nigerians has reduced his chance of ever realising his elusive ambition to the personal life of President Tinubu,” he said.
According to Ajayi, Atiku’s attacks on the President were also aimed at generating publicity after allegedly failing to convince Nigerians about his position on fuel subsidy.
He accused the ADC candidate of being inconsistent on policy matters, particularly regarding his proposal to restore fuel subsidy.
Ajayi argued that Atiku’s inability to convince Nigerians about the feasibility of his fuel subsidy proposal had pushed him towards making personal attacks against the President.
He further challenged Atiku to take his claim about Tinubu’s age to court and provide the alleged evidence.
“Let him go to court to present the evidence that President Tinubu is 90 years old,” Ajayi said.
The presidential aide also recalled Atiku’s previous legal challenges over the 2023 presidential election, claiming that the former vice president had failed in his court cases in both Nigeria and the United States.
“He has failed everywhere against President Tinubu, moving from court to court. He failed in his numerous court cases against President Tinubu in the United States and Nigeria in the last election cycle. He will fail again this time around,” Ajayi added.
