2027: Fani-Kayode, Atiku’s aide clash over ‘Bola’ - Vanguard News

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and the media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, have traded words over Atiku’s decision to repeatedly refer to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola” in his October 1 Independence Day address.

Fani-Kayode, in a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, accused Atiku of disrespecting the office of the President, describing the former vice-president’s speech as “intellectually-flawed, highly disrespectful” and lacking “decency, logic and rationality.”

He said Atiku deliberately refused to address Tinubu as “President”, choosing instead to repeatedly call him by his first name.

“Surely this level of pettiness is below even you. Yet despite this provocation I will not refer to you as ‘Kachalla’ and I will accord you the respect that I still think you deserve,” Fani-Kayode wrote.

He cited comments by Akin Osuntokun, a former Special Adviser on Politics to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, who had also criticised Atiku’s use of Tinubu’s first name.

Fani-Kayode said Osuntokun was right to demand “decorum and decency” in addressing the President, arguing that Atiku’s conduct was inconsistent with the respect expected of a former vice-president.

The former minister subsequently raised several past political controversies involving Atiku, including his relationship with Obasanjo during their tenure as president and vice-president between 1999 and 2007.

Fani-Kayode also criticised Atiku’s comments about former President Goodluck Jonathan, his exchange with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and his handling of the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto.

He alleged that Atiku’s political conduct demonstrated a lack of respect, restraint and loyalty, and accused him of being driven primarily by his ambition to become president.

Fani-Kayode further referred to comments attributed to former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, who he said had recently questioned Atiku’s electability and ability to offer anything new.

He concluded by warning that Atiku’s refusal to show respect for the presidential office could hurt his ambition to occupy it.

Responding, Ibe dismissed Fani-Kayode’s criticism as a distraction from the substantive issues raised by Atiku in his Independence Day address.

In a statement posted on his social media platforms, Ibe said Atiku had committed no offence by referring to Tinubu as “Bola”.

“His name is Bola. And that is not Nigeria’s problem,” Ibe said.

According to him, Nigerians were more concerned about the cost of living, insecurity and rising food, transport and energy costs than the form of address used for the President.

“Nigeria is a republic, not a monarchy. The President is an elected public servant, not an emperor before whom opponents must genuflect,” he said.

Ibe argued that “President” was the title of an office and not a requirement that should shield its occupant from criticism.

He also accused Fani-Kayode of contradicting his own call for decorum by using harsh descriptions against political opponents in his response.

“You lecture Atiku about ‘decency’, ‘decorum’ and ‘restraint’, yet your essay calls people ‘pit bull terriers’, ‘hungry wolves’, ‘fallen angels’ and sufferers of ‘pathological obsession’,” Ibe said.

He also referred to previous controversies involving Fani-Kayode, including his confrontation with a Daily Trust journalist and allegations made against him by his estranged wife, stressing that some of the matters remained contested.

On Atiku’s relationship with Obasanjo, Ibe said political disagreement should not be equated with treason, arguing that Atiku was the vice-president and not a subordinate without political rights.

He also described the alleged account of Obasanjo kneeling before Atiku during their political dispute as contested history, saying Atiku had denied it.

“On the claim that Obasanjo knelt before Atiku, Atiku has denied it, while others have offered a different account. It remains disputed history. You may choose your version, but you cannot manufacture certainty,” Ibe said.

On Atiku’s comments about Jonathan, Ibe said the former vice-president was entitled to assess the former president’s preparedness for office, adding that criticism should not automatically be interpreted as disrespect.

He also defended Atiku over the controversy surrounding the killing of Deborah Samuel, saying the deleted social media post had been published without Atiku’s approval.

Ibe said Atiku subsequently condemned the killing and made it clear that Islam provided no justification for taking another person’s life outside due process.

Turning to the 2027 election, Ibe said Nigerians would ultimately judge the Tinubu administration on the impact of its policies on their lives rather than on the manner in which Atiku addressed the President.

He asked whether food, petrol and electricity had become more affordable, whether Nigerians were safer, and whether incomes and businesses had improved under Tinubu.

“Those are the questions that matter,” Ibe said.

“It is easier to debate ‘Bola’ versus ‘Mr President’ than to defend what Bola’s policies have done to Nigerians.

“In 2027, Nigerians will vote on food, petrol, electricity, jobs, insecurity, the naira and their quality of life — not forms of address.”

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