The media aide to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has ‘apologized’ to President Bola Tinubu after his principal referred to the President as ‘Bola ‘.
Ibe made the remark in an 𝕏 post on Wednesday morning, NEWSNGR reports.
In the post, Ibe questioned the controversy surrounding the President’s name and the attention it has generated.
While referring to Atiku’s independence day press briefing, Ibe wrote: “I ‘apologise’ for calling Tinubu ‘Bola.’
“I had no idea four letters could cause this much national distress. Perhaps I should have said ‘Amoda’, the foundational name long associated with him.
“Forgive my confusion. With all the public arguments over names, background, certificates, records and documents, addressing Tinubu sometimes seems to require footnotes.
“So, ‘correction’ duly noted: ‘Bola’ was apparently too familiar. ‘Amoda’ is disputed. Tinubu it is, pending further documentation.”
NEWSNGR reports that the comment follows outrage by the incumbent government over the opposition’s ‘mockery’ of the President’s name and other details about his background and official records.
Earlier, Paul Ibe defended his principal’s Independence Day speech.
In a post on his 𝕏 handle, Ibe argued that there is no Nigerian law that makes it an offence to refer to the president by his first name.
Reacting to criticism of Atiku’s use of “Bola” in his Independence Day address, Ibe said, “Bola is his name. President is his office.”
He argued that under Section 36(12) of the Constitution, nobody can be convicted of an offence unless the offence and its punishment are prescribed in written law.
Ibe challenged critics of Atiku to identify the law requiring Nigerians to address Tinubu as “President,” “His Excellency” or “Mr President.”
He also cited Section 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, arguing that people could disagree with Atiku’s choice of words without committing an offence.
“People may debate Atiku’s style. They may say they would have preferred ‘President Tinubu.’ That is their opinion. But let us not invent an offence where none exists,” he said.
Ibe said the focus should instead remain on the issues Atiku raised in his Independence Day address.
