Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his repeated reference to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “Bola” during a press conference.
Keyamo described the reference as disrespectful and discourteous, stressing that the office of the President should be accorded the dignity it deserves regardless of political differences.
In a statement on Saturday, Keyamo said Atiku should “know better” and consider the interest of the country in his public utterances about the President.
“The continuous reference to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by His Excellency, ex Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in his Press Conference earlier today as ‘Bola’ is very disrespectful and discourteous,” Keyamo said.
He added, “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 further criticised what he described as the tone of Atiku’s comments, saying it “reeks of pain and bitterness in his heart.”
The minister also referred to Atiku’s recent claim that President Tinubu is older than him, describing the claim as “outlandish.”
According to Keyamo, Atiku’s reference to Tinubu by his first name was contradictory given his own description of the President as an elder.
“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,” he said.
