Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, criticised Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, on Friday. Keyamo objected to Atiku’s repeated reference to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola” during a press conference in Abuja.
Keyamo made the remarks in a post on his X account. He described the continuous reference as very disrespectful and discourteous. He stated that Atiku should know better that no matter the differences with the president, the office should be accorded all the dignity it deserves for the sake of the country.
Keyamo further addressed the tone of the comments. He said the tone reeks of pain and bitterness in his heart. He linked the language to personal grievance rather than policy discussion alone.
In addition, Keyamo referred to an earlier statement by Atiku about their ages. He noted that Atiku had made the outlandish claim that the president is older than himself. Keyamo said it is therefore a contradiction that he would also refer to an elder by his first name.
Earlier that day, Atiku had spoken about the high cost of petrol. He urged the Federal Government to take steps to reduce petrol prices and avoid relying only on palliatives.
Atiku said Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because he proposed a government intervention. He added that the president could rename the initiative and take credit for it if that would ease the burden on Nigerians.
Keyamo’s response focused strictly on the manner of address rather than the policy proposal itself. He insisted that political differences do not remove the need to show respect for the office of the president. The exchange highlighted ongoing tensions between the two political figures ahead of future contests.
