The media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has said his principal committed no offence by referring to President Bola Tinubu simply as “Bola” in his Independence Day address.
Ibe, in a post on X on Friday, said some people were outraged that Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, addressed the president by his first name, but maintained that outrage did not amount to law.
“Bola is the President’s name, right? There is no Nigerian law that makes it a criminal offence to address a president by his first name,” he said.
He cited Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that no person shall be convicted of a criminal offence unless the offence and its punishment are prescribed in a written law.
“So, anyone claiming Atiku committed an offence should produce the law that says Nigerians must always prefix Bola Tinubu’s name with ‘President,’ ‘His Excellency’ or ‘Mr President.’ There is no such law,” Ibe said.
He maintained that the use of first names among political leaders was not unusual, noting that former United States President Barack Obama publicly referred to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel simply as “Angela” at official events, including a joint White House press conference and a state dinner.
Ibe added that Section 39 of the Constitution guaranteed freedom of expression.
“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. Bola is his name. President is his office,” he said.
According to him, the more important question was whether Atiku’s critics could address the substantive issues he raised in his Independence Day state-of-the-nation address.