Presidential Spokesman Condemns Atiku's Informal Address to Tinubu

Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, has strongly denounced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his repeated use of "Bola" when referring to the Nigerian President. Dare characterized this form of address as an act of "insolence" of the highest degree.

His remarks were issued in a statement on Saturday, responding to comments made by Atiku during a press conference held in Abuja on Friday. During his briefing, Atiku Abubakar had urged President Tinubu to adopt his suggested approach for government intervention to alleviate the burden of high petrol prices. He even proposed that Tinubu could rebrand the initiative and claim credit for it if it would benefit Nigerians. Atiku stated, "Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because Atiku Abubakar proposed a government intervention. He should just take the idea, rename it if he wishes, and even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less."

In his rebuttal, Dare asserted that addressing a sitting President by their first name while simultaneously issuing directives on governmental operations constituted extreme "political hubris." He further articulated his disapproval, stating, "Alhaji Atiku’s manner of addressing President Bola Tinubu as Bola is the height of insolence. It is a clear descent into the abyss of unbridled desperation and an unraveling mind." Dare continued, adding, "To seek to lecture a sitting president with the unbridled insolence of dropping his first name, petulantly barking instructions, and dictating how governance should be run within a truncated timeline is the height of political hubris."

Beyond the issue of informal address, Dare also challenged Atiku's comments concerning the nation's economy, suggesting that the former Vice President lacked the standing to advise the current administration on fiscal management. "Nigerians do not need lectures on fiscal management from a political wanderer whose decades-long pursuit of the presidency has been defined by perpetual opportunism," Dare remarked. He defended the current administration's economic strategies, highlighting President Tinubu's commitment to implementing significant, foundational reforms aimed at revitalizing an economy hampered by years of structural stagnation and the drain of subsidies.

Dare additionally expressed skepticism about Atiku's proposed government intervention for petrol prices, interpreting it as a calculated political maneuver designed to exploit economic hardships for electoral gain. He concluded, "Atiku’s sudden conversion to the gospel of interventionism rings hollow. This is a desperate strategy by a perennial seeker of power who weaponizes transient national discomforts for electoral mileage."

These strong criticisms from Dare follow similar sentiments expressed a day earlier by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo. Keyamo had also taken issue with Atiku's use of "Bola" when referring to President Tinubu, deeming it "very disrespectful and discourteous" and emphasizing the need to accord due dignity to the presidential office, irrespective of political differences. This exchange unfolds as Atiku, the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress, reportedly positions himself for the 2027 presidential election, a contest where President Tinubu, representing the All Progressives Congress, is widely anticipated to seek a second term.