15 October 2026 2:21 pm WAT
The camp of presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has mocked President Bola Tinubu for addressing himself as “governor” at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election in Abuja.
According to the former Vice President’s camp, the incident raises pertinent questions about the president’s health going into the next general election.
Speaking at the council’s inauguration on Wednesday, the president said, “Distinguished leaders of our party, all the party members, presidential campaign council, I’ve seen my friend here that I must thank. And next will be the recognition of the director general of the presidential campaign council that will bring Governor Bola Tinubu back for second time.”
A video of the incident trended on social media on Wednesday, generating varied reactions.
Paul Ibe, Media Aide to Atiku, reacted in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Ibe, who said the slip was more than a gaffe, questioned the president’s health.
He said, “When President Bola Tinubu was addressed simply as ‘Bola,’ he and his supporters were outraged, as though calling a man by his own name amounted to an act of disrespect.
“Now, the President reportedly refers to himself as ‘Governor,’ a position he left more than 23 years ago.
“Some have dismissed it as a mere gaffe. I don’t think it is a gaffe. It is much deeper than that.
“This is the reason why questions about presidential health and transparency should not be treated as taboo.
“If calling Tinubu ‘Bola’ was considered disrespectful, what should Nigerians make of his reportedly calling himself ‘Governor’?
“It should be troubling.”
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