The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for addressing President Bola Tinubu as “Bola”, accusing the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate of allowing political rivalry to erode the decorum expected of a former occupant of the nation’s second-highest office.
The council’s spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, expressed the party’s displeasure in a statement issued on Monday, arguing that Atiku’s conduct fell short of the standards expected of someone seeking to become Nigeria’s president.
Atiku has repeatedly referred to Tinubu by his first name while describing the administration as a “Yahoo Yahoo” government and accusing it of dishonesty.
He has also made insinuations about the President’s educational background, further fuelling exchanges between supporters of the two political camps.
Reacting to the controversy, Alake said the APC campaign council remained committed to maintaining civility in political engagement, despite what it considered Atiku’s disregard for established courtesies.
The statement partly read, “We have followed the furore and public reactions to the self-imposed indiscretion and disrespect for the office of the President of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the ADC.
“While a higher standard of decorum, decency and deference to constituted authorities is expected from a former Vice President of Nigeria and an aspirant to the highest office in the country, we are concerned that the ADC presidential candidate has not lived up to those expectations by his unbecoming decision to address the President of Nigeria on a first-name basis as ‘Bola’.
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“Since Alhaji Atiku lost the last presidential election, he has allowed political animosity and uncontrollable ambition to rob him of the statesmanship that should guide his public conduct and utterances.
“Alhaji Atiku, for reasons best known to him alone, chose, rather than being a good example of decency in political behaviour, to set himself up as a model of politician the younger generation of political actors should never aspire to be like.”
Despite its criticism of the former vice-president, the APC campaign council urged its members and supporters to maintain respect for Atiku’s former position and status as a presidential candidate.
Alake said the party would not allow personal exchanges to distract it from communicating its policies, defending the administration’s record and presenting its agenda to Nigerians ahead of the next presidential election.
The council reiterated its position in the statement, saying:
“Without any regard to his personal choice to disrespect the office he is aspiring to occupy, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has implored all party leaders, spokespersons, party members and support groups to accord all the respect, courtesies and regard due to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as former Vice President of Nigeria and a presidential candidate.
“As a party grounded in progressive ideals and African traditional values of respect, our campaign council will not follow Alhaji Atiku’s path. Our campaign will focus on issues important to Nigerians. We will sell our party programmes, President Bola Tinubu’s achievements in office, and how the administration is moving Nigeria from reforms to prosperity as the President seeks a second-term mandate from Nigerians.”
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