“The height of insolence” — Presidential aide tackles Atiku over calling Tinubu ‘Bola’
Presidential aide Sunday Dare has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for repeatedly referring to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola”, describing the address as “the height of insolence”.
Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, made the remark on Saturday while reacting to comments Atiku made at a press conference in Abuja.
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Atiku had urged Tinubu to consider government intervention to reduce petrol prices, saying the President could rename the proposal and take credit for it if it would ease the burden on Nigerians.
Dare accuses Atiku of political hubris
Dare said addressing a sitting President by his first name while giving instructions on how the government should operate amounted to political hubris.
He said, “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.”
The presidential aide also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and criticised Atiku’s proposal for government intervention in petrol pricing.
Dare described the former Vice President’s position as a strategy aimed at gaining electoral advantage from economic difficulties.
He said, “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.”
Keyamo also reacts to Atiku’s comment
Dare’s comments came a day after Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo also criticised Atiku for calling the President “Bola”.
Keyamo described the reference as “very disrespectful and discourteous”, arguing that the office of the President should be accorded dignity regardless of political differences.
The exchange comes amid increasing political activity ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku and Tinubu among the prominent figures expected to feature in the contest