The Presidency has criticised former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for repeatedly referring to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola” during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, described Atiku’s reference to the President by his first name as “very disrespectful and discourteous”, arguing that the office of the President should be accorded dignity regardless of political differences.

Keyamo made the remarks in a post on his X handle on Friday.

“The continuous reference to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT by His Excellency, ex Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in his Press Conference earlier today as ‘Bola’ is very disrespectful and discourteous,” Keyamo wrote.

“He should know better that no matter your differences with Mr. President, for the sake of the country, that office should be accorded all the dignity it deserves.”

Keyamo also accused Atiku of speaking from a position of personal grievance, saying, “The tone reeks of pain and bitterness in his heart.”

The minister further referred to Atiku’s recent claim concerning their ages, arguing that it was inconsistent for the former vice president to describe Tinubu as older than himself while also addressing him by his first name.

“After all, he made the outlandish claim the other day that Mr. President is older than himself. It is therefore a contradiction that he would also refer to an ‘elder’ by his first name,” Keyamo said.

Atiku had earlier called on Tinubu to take measures to reduce the price of petrol and ease the economic burden on Nigerians.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Atiku urged the President to consider government intervention to lower petrol prices, saying the policy should not be rejected simply because it was proposed by a political opponent.

“Bola Tinubu should not be ashamed to do what is necessary to lower the price of petrol simply because Atiku Abubakar proposed a government intervention.

“He should just take the idea, rename it if he wishes, and even take the credit. What matters to me is that Nigerians pay less,” Atiku said.

The former vice president also criticised reliance on palliatives to address rising living costs, arguing that temporary relief measures should not substitute for broader economic policies.

He further warned against the planned phase-out of electricity subsidies from 2027, saying higher energy costs could place additional pressure on households, businesses and manufacturers.