Go To Court With Evidence” — Presidency Fires Back At Atiku

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has dismissed claims by the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, that President Tinubu is 90 years old.

Atiku had recently claimed in an interview with the BBC that he possessed evidence to prove that the Nigerian president is 90 years old.

Reacting to the allegation, Ajayi described the claim as an indication of Atiku’s desperation to achieve his ambition of becoming president.

According to Ireporter Online, the presidential aide said Atiku’s latest allegation amounted to what he described as “the last kick of a dying horse.”

“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. He is racing against time in his quest for the fulfilment of his marabouts’ prophecy,” Ajayi said.

The presidential aide questioned why Atiku, who had previously indicated that his campaign would focus on issues affecting Nigerians, was instead concentrating on Tinubu’s personal affairs.

Ajayi described the claim about Tinubu’s age as ridiculous and accused the former vice president of making unsubstantiated 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.

“It is ridiculous to claim President Tinubu is 90 years old. Alhaji Atiku wakes up every day to say whatever comes to his mouth with the hope that his failing campaign will gain traction.”

Ajayi further alleged that Atiku had resorted to personal attacks against Tinubu after failing to convince Nigerians about his proposal to restore fuel subsidy.

He accused the former vice president of being inconsistent on policy matters, particularly over his position on fuel subsidy.

The presidential aide argued that Atiku’s changing explanations on the policy had made it difficult for Nigerians to accept his proposal, prompting him to focus more on personal attacks against Tinubu.

“When he could not convince Nigerians of the soundness and workability of his new fuel subsidy prescription, the only way he hopes to remain in the news cycle and keep his floundering campaign alive is to increase the volume of personal attacks on the president,” Ajayi said.

He also challenged Atiku to take his allegation before a court and provide the evidence he claimed to possess.

“Let him go to court to present the evidence that President Tinubu is 90 years old. 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 stated.

The latest exchange adds to the growing political tension between the Tinubu administration and Atiku ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with both camps increasingly trading accusations over the president’s record, personal background and policy positions.