Reported By : Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar for repeatedly referring to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by his first name during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, describing the reference as “very disrespectful and discourteous” and accusing the former vice president of allowing personal bitterness to colour his remarks.
In a post on his X handle on Friday evening, Keyamo said the office of the President should be accorded dignity regardless of political differences. “The continuous reference to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT by His Excellency, ex Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in his Press Conference earlier today as ‘Bola’ is very disrespectful and discourteous,” Keyamo said. “He should know better that no matter your differences with Mr. President, for the sake of the country, that office should be accorded all the dignity it deserves.”
Keyamo also questioned the tone Atiku adopted during the press conference, suggesting his comments were driven by personal grievance rather than genuine concern for Nigerians. “The tone reeks of pain and bitterness in his heart,” the minister said. He further referenced Atiku’s recent claim that Tinubu is older than himself, arguing that it was contradictory for the former vice president to describe the President as an elder and still address him by his first name. “After all, he made the outlandish claim the other day that Mr. President is older than himself. It is therefore a contradiction that he would also refer to an ‘elder’ by his first name,” Keyamo said.
The exchange marks the latest escalation in a long-running war of words between Atiku’s camp and the Tinubu administration, which has intensified ahead of the 2027 general elections. Atiku, who is seeking the presidency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, has repeatedly criticised the administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the resulting surge in fuel prices and living costs. The Tinubu government has consistently defended its reforms, arguing that they are necessary to stabilise the economy and attract investment, while acknowledging that they have imposed short-term hardship on citizens.
Atiku’s remarks at Friday’s press conference focused on the cost of living and the price of petrol. He called on Tinubu to adopt his proposal for government intervention to reduce petrol prices, saying the President should not be ashamed to do what is necessary simply because the idea came from a political opponent. “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. “He should just take the idea, rename it if he wishes, and even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less.” He also urged the administration to use its remaining months in office to ease the burden on Nigerians, saying eight months “may sound short inside Aso Rock” but is “a very long time when you are living from hand to mouth.”
The minister’s response is not the first time Keyamo and Atiku’s camp have clashed. In April 2026, Keyamo claimed that President Tinubu held a commanding political edge over opposition rivals ahead of the 2027 elections, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, who said the “myth of invincibility” around Tinubu was crumbling. The exchange has since evolved into a broader confrontation over the administration’s record, with Atiku’s camp questioning Tinubu’s economic management and the Presidency accusing the opposition of peddling falsehoods.
Atiku’s reference to Tinubu by his first name is not unprecedented in Nigerian political discourse, where senior politicians sometimes use first names to signal familiarity or to diminish an opponent’s stature. However, Keyamo’s decision to publicly rebuke the former vice president reflects the sensitivity of the current political moment, with the 2027 presidential election less than four months away. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the campaign has already produced a series of bitter exchanges between the ruling All Progressives Congress and opposition parties.
The dispute over Atiku’s choice of words also touches on a broader debate about political culture in Nigeria. Supporters of the President argue that the office he occupies deserves respect regardless of who holds it, while critics contend that respect must be earned through performance and that scrutiny of the President’s record should not be conflated with disrespect for the institution. The argument is likely to intensify as the campaign progresses, with both sides seeking to frame the other as unfit for office.
For now, the immediate controversy is unlikely to alter the fundamental dynamics of the 2027 race. Atiku remains a formidable contender, with a substantial political network and a record of contesting presidential elections. Tinubu retains the advantages of incumbency, control of the national machinery and the support of governors and party structures across the country. The exchange between Keyamo and Atiku is a reminder that the campaign will be fought not only over policy and performance but also over tone, temperament and the intangible qualities that voters associate with leadership.
As the election approaches, the question of how candidates address one another may become as consequential as the issues they debate. Keyamo has made clear that the Presidency will not allow what it regards as slights against the office to go unanswered. Atiku’s camp has yet to respond formally to the minister’s criticism, but given the pattern of the past year, a reply is likely. What is certain is that the battle for 2027 will continue to generate friction between the ruling party and the opposition, and that the language of the campaign will be as closely watched as its substance.
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