“And Now You Call Him Bola!” — Fani-Kayode Blasts Atiku For Disrespecting Tinubu In Independence Day Speech
Former Minister of Aviation and former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has launched a scathing attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his October 1st Independence Day speech, accusing him of disrespecting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a lengthy statement titled “AND NOW YOU CALL HIM BOLA!” released on Saturday, Fani-Kayode described Atiku’s speech as “calm and well-delivered but intellectually-flawed, highly disrespectful, inherently dishonest and utterly bereft of decency, logic and rationality.”
The main crux of Fani-Kayode’s anger was Atiku’s refusal to address Tinubu as ‘President’ but rather continuously referring to him by his first name ‘Bola’ throughout his national address.
“Surely this level of pettiness is below even you. Yet despite this provocation I will not refer to you as ‘Kachalla’ and I will accord you the respect that I still think you deserve,” Fani-Kayode wrote.
The former minister backed his position with the views of Bashorun Akin Osuntokun, former Special Advisor on Politics to President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Director General of the 2023 Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, who also condemned Atiku’s choice of words
Fani-Kayode quoted Osuntokun as saying: “Abubakar is entitled to criticise the President, however sharply. What I found objectionable was his repeated decision to call him ‘Bola.’ That was not a more forceful argument; it was a needless display of disrespect. This is not acceptable. It is bad manners and primarily an insult to Nigeria on whose account he occupies that office… Imagine a former Vice President referring throughout a national address to a sitting President as ‘Segun’ or ‘Muhammadu’. The rudeness would be unmistakable.”
According to Fani-Kayode, while Osuntokun appeared surprised by Atiku’s “rank insolence,” he himself was not surprised, alleging that Atiku has a history of disrespecting his principals.
He recalled that Atiku betrayed his principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo, two years after he was elected in 1999 and conspired with a handful of Governors to overthrow him at the primaries in 2003.
“Are you not the same Atiku that insulted Obasanjo publicly from 2003 up until 2007 even though you were his Vice President?” Fani-Kayode queried.
He also accused Atiku of attempting to justify his rebellion against Obasanjo on the grounds of “third term” when, according to him, the rebellion started long before 2007 with an intention to stop Obasanjo from getting a second term in 2003.
Fani-Kayode further accused the former Vice President of disrespecting other leaders, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom Atiku recently described on Arise TV as an “inexperienced young man” who made mistakes.
“You were referring to a former President that is 69 years old, that led our country for 5 years as firstly Acting President then President… as a ‘young man’ with ‘no experience’?” he asked.
The former minister also referenced Atiku’s recent comment on Vice President Kashim Shettima, where Atiku described Shettima as “disrespectful” for challenging him to give an account of his tenure.
Fani-Kayode defended Shettima as “a humble man who unlike you has the courage to be loyal to his boss” and accused Atiku of double standards, noting that Atiku had done worse to Obasanjo in 2002.
“The truth is that you do not reflect the decency, restraint, patience, good manners, faith in God, loyalty, fortitude, kindness, generosity, charity, compassion, honor and other virtues that are associated with the North but rather its antithesis,” Fani-Kayode stated.
He went further to recall a statement by Atiku’s own political ally, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who reportedly said a few weeks ago that Atiku was “unelectable” and had “nothing new to bring to the table.”
Fani-Kayode also revisited the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, accusing Atiku of initially posting condolences on his X handle and deleting it an hour later, even after President Muhammadu Buhari, the Sultan of Sokoto and then Governor Aminu Tambuwal had condemned the murder.
“Expecting any form of genuine love, decorum and decency from you is like expecting kindness from a pit bull terrier and compassion from a hungry wolf,” he said.
He concluded that Atiku has no respect and is only loyal to his ambition, warning that because he lacks basic respect for the Office of the President and insists on calling him ‘Bola’, he may never attain that position.
“Vain promises we all know you are incapable of achieving due to your greed and lack of patriotism cannot deceive anyone into trusting you. And because you lack basic respect for the Office of the President and insist on calling him ‘Bola’, you, my dear Waziri, may NEVER attain that height,” Fani-Kayode declared.
Chief Fani-Kayode is Nigeria’s High Commissioner-Designate to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
