Shettima to Atiku: You Can Address Tinubu as ‘Bola’, but He’s the President

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has taken swipe at former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his repeated references to President Bola Tinubu by his first name.

Shettima spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said Tinubu remained the president and commander-chief- of the Armed Forces, regardless of how Atiku chose to address him.

“Those who come to equity must come with clean hands. You can call him Bola. If you like, you can call him Adekunle. But the truth is that he is the president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the federal Republic of Nigeria,” Shettima said.

The vice-president also criticised Atiku’s repeated attempts to become president, comparing the former vice-president to Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former prime minister, who unsuccessfully contested the country’s presidency several times.

Shettima said Atiku could not be compared with Abraham Lincoln, the former United States president revered for his role in ending slavery.

Lincoln served as US president from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.

Shettima, however, said he woud not disrespect Atiku, despite his attitude towards the president.

“Atiku Abubakar, I will still respect him and call him a former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar,” he said.

“I will not follow suit with Lawal and call him Kachalla. No. But believe me, Atiku Abubakar, who has contested for the presidency of this country for the eighth time, is no Abraham Lincoln. He is more of Odinga Odinga.”

The vice-president said political ambition must be matched by character, discipline and an understanding of the responsibilities of public office.

Shettima also criticised Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, questioning his economic prescriptions and claims about the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

He argued that Nigeria’s population, size and economic realities made it unsuitable for policies copied from other countries without adapting them to local circumstances.

“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities,” Shettima said.

He added that policies that worked in Bangladesh could not simply be transplanted to Nigeria without considering differences in population, economic structures, institutions and national circumstances.

“I respect Peter Obi. But he has gone beyond his mastery of philosophy to make august claim about winning the 2023 presidential election without adducing a shred of evidence to buttress his assertion,” Shettima said.

He described Obi as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”, comparing the challenge of applying foreign policies to Nigeria to fitting a garment designed for a smaller body onto a much larger one.

Shettima, however, urged campaign council members to treat political opponents with respect, describing them as fellow Nigerians rather than enemies.

“For the rest of the duration of this campaign, we’ll discuss ideas, we’ll discuss policies, but we’ll treat all our opponents with respect and dignity. They are not our enemies. They are our brothers. They are our countrymen. They are our leaders,” he said.

He warned APC campaigners against engaging in exchanges of insults, urging them instead to respond to criticism with evidence and reason.

“We have the capacity to respond to all sorts of innuendos and outright lies that our political opponents are taking on. But we won’t fall into their traps. We’ll give them facts,” he said.

“We’ll give them statistics. We argue with reason, not with sentiments, not with exaggerated truth or fabricated lies.”

He argued that Tinubu deserved a second term because the administration’s reform programme had gained momentum that Nigeria could not afford to lose.

Shettima urged members of the presidential campaign council to take the administration’s case to communities across the country, listen to voters and explain its policies and achievements.