Media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has responded to criticism from former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, over Atiku’s repeated reference to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola” in his Independence Day address.

Fani-Kayode had accused Atiku of disrespecting the President by addressing him by his first name rather than using the title “President Tinubu.”

However, Ibe dismissed the criticism, arguing that Tinubu was an elected public servant and that referring to him by his first name was neither illegal nor unconstitutional.

In a statement released on Sunday, Ibe said the controversy over the President’s name was misplaced, given the economic and security challenges facing Nigerians. NigeriaInvestment Guide

He stated, “Dear @realFFK, your lengthy turenchi is almost as long as Jagaban’s failings because @atiku called President @officialABAT by his first name misses the point.

“His name is Bola. And that is not Nigeria’s problem. In a country battling hardship, insecurity and prohibitive food, transport and energy costs, the emergency that concerns you is that Atiku called Bola, Bola.

“Nigeria is a republic, not a monarchy. The President is an elected public servant, not an emperor before whom opponents must genuflect. ‘President’ is an office, not a compulsory prefix shielding its occupant from criticism.

“Atiku committed no crime or constitutional violation by calling Bola Tinubu ‘Bola’. You may consider it discourteous. That is your opinion, not an offence, but there is a bigger problem with your sermon: the moral contradiction of the preacher.

“You lecture Atiku about ‘decency’, ‘decorum’ and ‘restraint’, yet your essay calls people ‘pit bull terriers’, ‘hungry wolves’, ‘fallen angels’ and sufferers of ‘pathological obsession’.

“You are also the same Femi Fani-Kayode who publicly berated a Daily Trust journalist for asking a legitimate question, called him ‘stupid’, threatened him and reportedly declared, ‘I have marked you.’

“Your writings about the Igbo have repeatedly attracted accusations of ethnic stereotyping and inflammatory rhetoric.

“And since you have turned political disagreement into a sermon on personal morality, your own public baggage becomes relevant. Your estranged wife publicly accused you of domestic abuse. Someone carrying such contested baggage should understand the wisdom of restraint before mounting the pulpit to judge another man’s character.

“Femi, physician, heal thyself. Your excursion into the Obasanjo years proves little. Political disagreement is not treason. Atiku was Vice President, not Obasanjo’s domestic servant. Indeed, Atiku’s court victories from that era helped deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy. NigeriaInvestment Guide

“On the claim that Obasanjo knelt before Atiku, Atiku has denied it, while others have offered a different account. It remains disputed history. You may choose your version, but you cannot manufacture certainty.

“On Goodluck Jonathan, Atiku offered a political assessment of his preparedness for office. You may disagree. Criticism is not disrespect.

“As for @ChibuikeAmaechi, political rivals can later become allies. That is coalition building. You should understand this better than most: you are today in the APC supporting a man you once vowed never to support. today, you are an Ambassador-designate of all that is obnoxious about the Tinubu administration.

“The Deborah Samuel tragedy deserves more seriousness than partisan point-scoring. Atiku explained that the deleted post was published without his approval. I, as his Media Adviser, can confirm that no approval was obtained before its deployment. He subsequently condemned the killing and stated clearly that Islam provides no justification for taking another person’s life outside due process.

“But all these diversions expose the weakness of your essay: you barely answered what Atiku actually said on October 1. And he said quite a lot.

“Has food become cheaper under Bola? Petrol more affordable? Electricity cheaper or more reliable? Are Nigerians safer? Are incomes stronger? Are businesses thriving? Is the average Nigerian better off?

“Those are the questions that matter.

“It is easier to debate ‘Bola’ versus ‘Mr President’ than to defend what Bola’s policies have done to Nigerians. NigeriaInvestment Guide

“In 2027, Nigerians will vote on food, petrol, electricity, jobs, insecurity, the naira and their quality of life, not forms of address.

“Femi can keep counting how many times Atiku said ‘Bola’. Nigerians are counting the cost of surviving under Bola.”

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The Osun State Government has approached the Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking to overturn an interim order restricting transactions on its bank accounts over a $13.9 million arbitration award in favour of Gamji Nigeria Company Limited.

The state government, in a statement issued on Sunday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said it had filed an application seeking to set aside the ex parte order and protect the state’s interests through judicial review of the arbitral award.

The development followed an order by Justice D.E. Osiagor directing commercial banks to place a “Post No Debit” restriction on accounts operated by the Osun State Government.

The order was granted after Gamji, through its counsel, Yunus AbdulSalam, SAN, approached the court in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1233/2026.

The state government faulted the order, alleging that Gamji failed to disclose relevant information to the Federal High Court when seeking the restriction.

According to the government, the order “was a product of deceit and substantial non-disclosure of material facts to the court,” and it also alleged that the arbitration award Gamji sought to enforce was affected by several irregularities.

The government said its legal team had therefore commenced proceedings before the Lagos State High Court to challenge the award.

It stated, “The only arbitral award against the state government was in July 2026, and the said award is presently being challenged before the Lagos State High Court by the state government’s legal team.”

The government traced the dispute to a contract awarded during the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in 2017.

It said disagreements subsequently arose over a variation request submitted by Gamji, particularly concerning an alleged $15,982,638.22 liability.

According to the state, the matter proceeded to arbitration but alleged that the process was improperly handled and that the government was denied a fair opportunity to participate fully.

“The matter proceeded for arbitration, which was deliberately mismanaged and handled to favour Gamji Nig. Co. Ltd., while denying the State Government a fair hearing and full participation in the arbitration process as mandated by best practice in the arbitration process,” the statement said.

Osun said the alleged irregularities in the proceedings and the resulting award were already before the Lagos State High Court for determination.

The government said its counsel filed a suit at the Lagos State High Court on September 1, 2026, seeking to set aside the arbitral award.

It added that a separate motion was also filed seeking to suspend enforcement of the award pending determination of the substantive case.

According to the government, it served both applications on Gamji and its counsel before the company approached the Federal High Court.

“Both the originating motion and the motion on notice were duly served on Gamji and its Counsel; as such, they were fully aware that the award was being challenged by the State Government,” the statement said.

The state alleged that Gamji subsequently approached the Federal High Court without informing it that the validity of the award was already being contested before the Lagos State High Court.

The government said it had now formally applied to the Federal High Court to discharge the September 9 order restricting its accounts.

It added that the alleged non-disclosure by Gamji had been brought to the Federal High Court’s attention.

“Motion on notice to set aside the order of September 9 has been duly presented before the Court, and the deceptive ploy of Gamji Nig. Co. Ltd. has been relayed to the Federal High Court,” the statement said.

The state government assured residents that it would pursue all available legal avenues to protect its interests, while noting that the matter remained before the courts.

“Since the matter is still sub judice, the State Government refrains from making any prejudicial comments on the merits of the case,” it added.

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Former presidential aide and journalist, Babafemi Ojudu, has recounted how he and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu escaped an accident on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

According to Ojudu, the incident happened shortly before Tinubu became governor of Lagos State.

It was reports that Ojudu made the disclosure in an open letter to Tinubu on Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary.

He used the opportunity to also urge the President to review policies he said had made life increasingly difficult for millions of Nigerians.

Ojudu said the incident occurred at about 1.30 am when Tinubu’s driver, the late Mustapha, reportedly fell asleep at the wheel while returning from the residence of a senior security official in Ikoyi.

He said the vehicle struck the bridge railing, but both men survived.

“On our way back, at about 1.30 a.m., your driver, the late Mustapha, fell asleep at the wheel on the Third Mainland Bridge. The car struck the railing. We were fortunate to escape with our lives,” Ojudu recalled.

He said Tinubu later asked him to drive them to Alausa, even though he had never driven a car with an automatic transmission.

Somehow, I got us there,” he added.

Ojudu said he recalled the incident because it illustrated the length and nature of his relationship with Tinubu, which he traced to their days in the struggle against military rule and Tinubu’s campaign for the Lagos governorship.

He said that shortly before Tinubu was elected governor, he took him to the residence of a senior security official, Ibrahim Solomon, in Ikoyi, fearing the election could be rigged against him. FollowPolitics

According to Ojudu, Solomon assured them that the security apparatus would ensure fairness and subsequently kept his word.

Following Tinubu’s electoral victory, Ojudu said he helped manage the transition committees and inauguration programme, but declined an offer to take a position in the new administration.

He said he returned to journalism because he believed Tinubu needed at least one person outside the government who could speak honestly to him without seeking personal advantage.

“During your eight years as governor, that was the role I tried to play. I did not come to you seeking an appointment or a favour for myself,” he said.

Ojudu recalled that Tinubu’s then Chief of Staff, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, would sometimes see him at the governor’s office and jokingly ask, “Our opposition has come. What have we done wrong again?”

He said it was in the same spirit that he chose to write the open letter, despite the strained relationship between them and his decision not to support Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign.

Ojudu said the two men had not seen each other since 2022 and that he had openly stated that he neither worked for Tinubu’s election nor voted for him in 2023.

He said two recent sermons on hunger and poverty eventually persuaded him to publicly voice his concerns to the President.

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