The camp of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP has slammed Defence Minister Mohammed Abubakar Badaru over a comment made during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to China.

In a video shared by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Badaru was seen shaking hands with Tinubu and greeting him with the words “Welcome, Daddy”.

In reaction, Atiku’s special assistant on broadcast media, AbdulRasheed Shehu, accused Badaru of “sycophancy”.

Shehu took to social media to mock the minister, saying: “Badaru greeted BAT by saying, ‘Welcome, Daddy,’ in a display of sycophancy.”

Badaru, a key ally of Tinubu, was among the Nigerian public officials who accompanied the president on his trip to China.