FORMER Director-General of Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, Prof Akin Osuntokun, has criticised presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, over his repeated use of President Bola Tinubu’s first name during his Independence Day address.
Atiku, a former vice-president, referred to the president as ‘Bola’ several times in his October 1 address, in which he criticised the Tinubu administration over the state of the Nigerian economy and other national issues.
Osuntokun said Atiku has every right to scrutinise and condemn the policies of the president but argued that the manner in which he addressed Tinubu was inappropriate.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Osuntokun said his longstanding relationship with Atiku had made him cautious about publicly criticising him since the end of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2007.
He, however, said Atiku’s repeated reference to Tinubu simply as ‘Bola’ crossed the line of acceptable political discourse.
“Abubakar is entitled to criticise the president, however sharply. What I found objectionable was his repeated decision to call him ‘Bola’,” Osuntokun said.
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According to him, the choice of words did not strengthen Atiku’s criticism of the administration but instead amounted to what he described as unnecessary disrespect for the presidency.
Osuntokun argued that Tinubu occupies the office through an electoral mandate and should therefore be accorded the privileges and recognition attached to the position, regardless of political disagreements.
He said Nigerians who believe Tinubu should no longer remain in office have constitutional avenues through which they can pursue that objective.
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“Those who believe he is unfit for it have legitimate ways to pursue his removal: impeachment or defeat at the ballot box. Until then, Tinubu is entitled to the privileges of his office,” he said.
The former campaign director stressed that his position should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Tinubu’s policies or personal conduct.
Rather, he said, the issue was about maintaining decorum when discussing the office of the president. Osuntokun added that politicians seeking the presidency should demonstrate respect for the institution they aspire to lead, including when the occupant of the office is a political opponent.
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“Imagine a former vice president referring throughout a national address to a sitting president as ‘Segun’ or ‘Mohammadu’. The rudeness would be unmistakable,” he said.
He further suggested that Atiku’s language could prompt questions about the judgment and temperament he would bring to the presidency if given the opportunity to lead the country.
Atiku, who served as vice-president between 1999 and 2007, is seeking to succeed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
