A storm has erupted over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s Independence Day press conference after he repeatedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as simply “Bola” — a move critics have branded a deliberate disrespect to the office of the Commander-in-Chief.
Atiku, who used the national address to criticise Tinubu’s administration, never prefixed the President’s name with “President,” “His Excellency” or “Mr President.” That omission has now become the story itself.
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Omokri: You Can’t Lead What You Don’t Respect
Leading the backlash is Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, who said Atiku’s choice of words disqualified him from seeking the presidency.
“If you cannot respect Tinubu as President, you are not fit for the office of President,” Omokri fired.
He argued that even if Atiku does not personally like Tinubu, he must respect the institution and the Constitution that the office represents.
A former Managing Director of NAN, Akin Osuntokun, also slammed the ex-VP, calling the act an insult to Nigeria itself.
“Abubakar is entitled to criticise the President, however sharply. What I found objectionable was his repeated decision to call him ‘Bola’. That was not a more forceful argument; it was a needless display of disrespect,” Osuntokun said.
He added: “Imagine a former Vice President referring throughout a national address to a sitting President as ‘Segun’ or ‘Mohammadu’. The rudeness would be unmistakable.”
Outrage Is Not Law — Atiku’s Camp Fights Back
But Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, dismissed the uproar as manufactured hysteria.
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In a statement yesterday, Ibe said: “Outrage is not law. Bola is the President’s name, right.”
He cited Section 36(12) of the Constitution, noting that no Nigerian law criminalizes calling the President by his first name, and Section 39 which guarantees freedom of expression.
“There is no Nigerian law that says Nigerians must always prefix Bola Tinubu’s name with ‘President’ or ‘His Excellency’. Anyone claiming Atiku committed an offence should produce the law,” Ibe said.
He referenced global precedent: “As U.S. President, Barack Obama publicly referred to German Chancellor Angela Merkel simply as ‘Angela’ at official events.”
Ibe concluded: “Bola is his name. President is his office. The more important question is whether critics can answer the substantive issues Atiku raised.”
The debate rages on.
