A presidential adviser to Bola Tinubu criticises former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for repeatedly referring to the president as “Bola.” Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, says the address is disrespectful to the office and describes it as the “height of insolence.”
The dispute follows comments Atiku makes at a press conference in Abuja, where he urges the Tinubu administration to implement an intervention to lower petrol prices. Atiku argues that the president should not hesitate to adopt the idea because it originally came from him, and he ties the proposal to the goal of ensuring Nigerians pay less for fuel. Dare responds that Atiku’s wording reflects political “hubris,” and he also rejects Atiku’s economic advice.
The outlets also note that the criticism aligns with earlier remarks by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, who similarly characterises the “Bola” reference as discourteous. While both accounts agree on the offence taken over the naming, they frame Dare’s broader rebuttal in terms of Atiku’s political motives and the need for Tinubu’s reforms ahead of Nigeria’s next electoral cycle.
