The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of allowing political ambition to undermine his statesmanship following his decision to address President Bola Tinubu simply as “Bola”.
The council’s spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, made the accusation in a statement on Monday, faulting Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, for what he described as a lack of decorum and respect expected of a former vice-president and an aspirant to the nation’s highest office.
Atiku has repeatedly addressed the President by his first name while describing his administration as a “Yahoo Yahoo” government and accusing it of lying. He has also made remarks insinuating that Tinubu did not attend school.
Reacting to the controversy, Alake said the APC campaign council had urged party leaders, spokespersons, members and support groups to continue according Atiku the respect due to him as a former vice-president and presidential candidate.
He added that the ruling party’s campaign would focus on issues affecting Nigerians, Tinubu’s achievements and the administration’s efforts to move the country from reforms to prosperity.
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’.”
Alake said Atiku had allowed political animosity and ambition to affect his public conduct since losing the last presidential election.
“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,” he said.
The minister further accused the former vice-president of setting a poor example for younger politicians.
“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,” the statement added.
Despite its criticism, the APC PCC urged its members and supporters to maintain respect for Atiku’s former office and political standing.
“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,” Alake said.
He added that the APC would not follow what it described as Atiku’s approach to political conduct.
“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,” the statement concluded.
