Former presidential aide and Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to apologise to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for repeatedly addressing him by his first name during a recent press conference.
Omokri made the appeal in an open letter titled “Why Waziri Atiku Abubakar Should Apologise To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” arguing that the office of the President deserves a level of respect that should be maintained regardless of political disagreements.
In the letter, Omokri appealed to Atiku to reconsider his approach when addressing the President, describing the former vice president as a respected elder statesman whose conduct carries significance in Nigeria’s political environment.
“Sir, I appeal to you, as a most respected elder statesman, to find it within yourself to address the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with the respect due to his office,” he wrote.
Dispute over how opposition leaders address the President
Omokri’s intervention comes amid a public disagreement between Atiku and supporters of the Tinubu administration over the Federal Government’s proposed 30-day petrol discount.
Atiku had criticised the temporary intervention, arguing that it did not adequately address the wider problems of high fuel prices and the cost of living. In making his argument, he addressed the President as “Bola”, a choice of wording that has since attracted criticism from Tinubu’s allies.
Atiku’s criticism of the petrol discount centres on whether a temporary reduction can provide lasting relief to households and businesses struggling with high transportation and operating costs.
The Federal Government, meanwhile, has maintained that the arrangement is intended to provide temporary relief without reinstating the former petrol subsidy regime.
Respect for office versus political criticism
Omokri’s letter has added a question of political etiquette to an already contentious policy debate.
His position is that disagreement with the President’s decisions should not diminish the respect accorded to the presidential office. Critics of that approach may argue that political leaders should remain free to use direct language when challenging government policies, provided their comments remain within the bounds of lawful political expression.
The disagreement therefore extends beyond the use of a first name to broader questions about political culture, public discourse and the relationship between respect for an institution and scrutiny of the person occupying it.
Atiku had not been reported in the supplied account as responding to Omokri’s request for an apology.
The exchange comes as Nigeria’s political actors increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election, with the petrol discount and the administration’s economic policies becoming subjects of sustained partisan debate.