Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over comments he described as disrespectful to President Bola Tinubu, saying anyone aspiring to the presidency must demonstrate discipline and respect for public institutions.
Shettima spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He argued that Atiku’s repeated presidential bids and policy proposals did not justify what he considered disrespectful language towards the sitting president. Shettima also questioned how Atiku’s proposed production subsidies would be funded.
“Those who want 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,” he said.
Shettima said he would continue to address Atiku respectfully by his title as a former vice-president, adding that he would not adopt the informal name used by some of the president’s critics.
“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 Oginga Odinga,” he said.
The vice-president maintained that the presidency was not merely a political prize but the highest expression of constitutional authority in Nigeria.
He said candidates seeking the office must demonstrate the character, intellectual maturity and responsibility expected of someone entrusted with leading more than 200 million Nigerians.
“The higher the office a person seeks, the greater the discipline expected in his words, conduct, and relationship with public institutions,” Shettima added.
He also challenged Atiku’s proposal for production subsidies, questioning their cost, beneficiaries and potential impact on other government spending priorities.
“Who pays? Who benefits? And which competing priorities must surrender their funding? A change in ideological wardrobe cannot balance a national budget,” he said.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council inauguration formally unveiled the party’s expanded campaign structure as it prepares for the 2027 general election.
