An haifi Bola Tinubu a ranar 29 ga watan Maris na shekarar 1952 cikin birnin Legas, Bola Tinubu musulmi ne kuma ya halarci makarantar firamare mai suna St. John's Primary School, da ke Aroloya da ke birnin Legas, sai sakandiren Children's Home School da ke Ibadan.
Tinubu ya samu tafiya kasar Amurka domin karo karatu a shekarar 1975, inda ya fara karatu a kwalejin Richard J. Daley College da ke Chicago, Illinois kafin daga bisani ya koma jami'ar jihar Chicago mai suna Chicago State University.
Ya samu kammala digirin sa a shekarar 1979 daga wannan jami'ar inda ya karanci Ilimin gudanarwar kuÉ—i wato "Accounting" Tinubu ya yi aiki da kamfanin Amurka mai suna Arthur Andersen, da kuma wasu kamfanonin irinsu Deloitte, Haskins, & Sells, da GTE Services Corporation duk a can Amurka.
Bayan komowarsa gida Njeriya a cikin shekarar 1983, Bola Tinubu ya soma aiki da kamfanin Mobil Oil Nigeria, kafin daga bisani ya zamo cikin jagororin kamfanin.
Ya fara shiga harkokin siyasa ne a shekarar 1992, lokacin da ya shiga jamiyyar Social Democratic Party (SDP) inda ya zamo mamba na ɗariƙar 'Peoples Front' wanda marigayi Shehu Musa Yar'Adua ke jagoranta, ɗarikar da ta ƙunshi manyan 'ƴan siyasa irinsu marigayi shugaba Umaru Yar'Adua, Atiku Abubakar, Baba Gana Kingibe, Rabi'u Kwankwaso, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Magaji Abdullahi, Dapo Sarumi da Yomi Edu da wasunsu.
An zaɓi Bola Tinubu a matsayin sanata mai wakiltar sannatan Legas ta yamma a jamhuriya ta uku wadda ba ta yi nisan zango ba sojoji su ka yi juyin mulki tare da rushe mulkin dimokraɗiyya baki ɗaya.
Bayan soke zaɓen shugaban ƙasa na "12 June" na shekarar 1993, sai Tinubu ya zamo ɗaya daga iyayen da su ka kafa gungun kungiyoyin rajin dawo da mulkin dimokraɗiyya a Najeriya kungiyar da ta shiga wayar da kan 'ƴan ƙasa akan nuna rashin goyon bayan mulkin soja da kuma ayyana marigayi Moshood Abiola a matsayin wanda ya ci zaɓen shugaban ƙasa da aka soke na ranar 12 ga watan yunin shekarar 1993.
Juyin mulkin da marigayi Shugaban ƙasa a wancan lokaci Abacha yayi na zamowa shugaban ƙasa da kuma yunkurin da ya yi na ɗaukar tsauraran matakai akan masu niyyar bashi matsala a mulkinsa, sai Tinubu ya ƙetare ya bar Najeriya bai sake dawowa ba sai bayan rasuwar Abacha a shekarar 1998, inda aka fara kafa tubalin ginin jamhuriya ta huɗu.
A zaɓen shekarar 1999, Bola Tinubu ɗaya ne daga shuwagabannin jamiyyar Alliance for Democracy (AD), tare da su Abraham Adesanya da Ayo Adebanjo.
Ya shiga zaɓen firamare na jamiyyar ta AD a matsayin ɗan takarar ta na Gwamnan jihar Legas kuma ya samu nasara, inda ya doke abokan takararsa na lokacin Funsho Williams da Wahab Dosunmu, tsohon ministan ayyukan Najeriya.
Don haka a zaɓen shekarar 1999, Bola Tinubu ya samu tsayawa takarar gwamnan jihar Legas a karkashin tutar jamiyyar AD, tare da samun nasarar lashe zaɓen cikin kwanciyar hankali.
A zaɓen shekarar 2015 kuwa, Tinubu shi ne jagoran gamin gambizar jamiyyan AC, ANPP, da CPC waɗanda su ka dunƙule tare da komawa inuwar jamiyyar APC. Shi ne kuma ya jagoranci mara wa shugaba Buhari baya har ya samu tikitin takara a jami'yyar APC, har kuma daga bisani ya samu nasarar lashe zaɓen shugabancin ƙasar baki ɗaya.
A halin yanzu jam'iyyar APC Shi Ta Tsayar a matsayin dan Takarar Shugaban kasa a Jam'iyar kuma ya Samu Nasarar Lashe Zaben na shekarar 2023.