Reported by: L. Stone
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has criticised former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar after Atiku repeatedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “Bola” during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
The exchange followed Atiku’s renewed call for the Federal Government to take measures to reduce the cost of petrol and ease the pressure of rising living costs on households, workers, farmers and businesses. Atiku argued that the government should be willing to adopt policies capable of reducing the price of petrol regardless of who originally proposed them. Keyamo, however, focused on Atiku’s manner of addressing the President, describing the repeated use of Tinubu’s first name as disrespectful and discourteous.
Atiku, who is preparing to contest the 2027 presidential election under the ADC, spoke at a press conference where he addressed fuel prices, palliatives and the broader cost-of-living situation in Nigeria. He argued that the consequences of higher petrol prices had extended beyond motorists, affecting transportation, logistics, food distribution, agricultural production and the operating costs of businesses.
He urged Tinubu to consider government intervention to bring down petrol prices, saying the President should not reject an idea simply because it came from a political opponent. Atiku said the administration could rename the proposal or take credit for it if necessary, provided that the outcome was lower costs for Nigerians.
“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,” Atiku said during the briefing. He added that what mattered to him was that Nigerians should pay less for petrol and experience relief from the wider economic consequences of high energy costs.
The former vice-president also raised concerns about electricity costs and the planned phase-out of electricity subsidies from 2027. He warned that households, small businesses and manufacturers were already dealing with high electricity bills as well as the cost of diesel and alternative power sources.
Atiku argued that the experience surrounding petrol subsidy removal should be considered before further changes were made to electricity support. He maintained that removing another major form of support without sufficient protection for households and productive sectors could place additional pressure on Nigerians already dealing with higher living expenses.
It was against this backdrop that Keyamo responded to Atiku’s repeated reference to the President as “Bola”. In a statement posted on his X account on Friday, the aviation minister said the former vice-president’s wording was “very disrespectful and discourteous”.
Keyamo argued that political disagreements should not remove the requirement to respect the office of the President. He said Atiku should recognise the dignity attached to the presidential office irrespective of differences between the two politicians.
The minister also connected his criticism to Atiku’s recent comments concerning the ages of the two politicians. Keyamo referred to Atiku’s earlier claim that Tinubu was older than him and argued that addressing someone described as an elder by his first name was inconsistent with that position.
Keyamo went further by alleging that the tone of Atiku’s comments reflected personal resentment. That characterisation was made by the minister himself and was not independently established. His response nevertheless added another political dimension to an already contentious debate over the government’s economic policies and the opposition’s alternatives.
The disagreement comes as Atiku increasingly positions economic hardship and the cost of living as central issues ahead of the 2027 presidential election. His criticism of the Tinubu administration has focused particularly on the consequences of the removal of the petrol subsidy and the effect of higher energy and transportation costs on Nigerians.
Atiku has argued that the petrol subsidy removal, implemented shortly after Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, contributed to increases in transportation, logistics and food prices. He has called for measures aimed at reducing the burden on citizens rather than relying principally on palliatives.
The Tinubu administration and its supporters have defended the broader direction of its economic reforms, while opposition figures have continued to challenge the impact of those policies on households and businesses. The disagreement over petrol prices therefore reflects a wider political contest over how Nigeria should manage its economy, public spending and social protection.
The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, also criticised Atiku’s economic arguments during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday. Morka said Atiku, as a presidential candidate, should present his own policy programme rather than ask the incumbent government to adopt his proposals. He also accused Atiku of having supported fuel subsidy removal during the 2023 presidential campaign before subsequently criticising the policy after its implementation.
Atiku’s comments and the reactions from Keyamo and Morka illustrate the increasingly political nature of the debate over the cost of living ahead of 2027. While Atiku has framed lower petrol and electricity costs as immediate measures that could provide relief, government allies have questioned the practicality and consistency of his proposals and have challenged his record and previous positions.
The latest exchange also demonstrates how disagreements between political figures can extend beyond policy into questions of political language and protocol. Atiku’s decision to repeatedly use Tinubu’s first name became a major part of Keyamo’s response, even though the former vice-president’s press conference had primarily focused on fuel prices, electricity costs and economic hardship.
For Atiku, the central argument remains that the government should prioritise measures that reduce the financial burden on Nigerians, regardless of the political origin of the proposal. For Keyamo, the immediate issue was the manner in which Atiku addressed the occupant of the presidential office.
The two positions underline the broader political confrontation likely to continue as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general election. Economic policy, the cost of living, energy prices and the credibility of competing political programmes are expected to remain significant areas of debate, while exchanges between government officials and opposition politicians are likely to intensify as the election approaches.
Stone Reporters correspondent reports that, for now, neither side has indicated that the disagreement over Atiku’s reference to Tinubu by his first name will alter the wider political debate over fuel pricing or the government’s economic programme. The substantive disagreement remains centred on how Nigeria should respond to high living costs and what role government intervention should play in reducing the burden on citizens.
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