Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has denied ever making critical comments about the president, insisting that past statements attributed to him were political rhetoric from his time in opposition.
Bwala made the clarification during an appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, in a programme examining Tinubu’s administration under the theme, “Nigeria: ‘Renewed Hope’ or ‘Hopelessness’?”
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During the episode, Hasan confronted Bwala with archived quotes and clips from his days aligned with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign. The host referenced a statement Bwala allegedly made on January 22, 2023, claiming Tinubu created a militia to manipulate the elections.
“You said Tinubu started a militia to sway the election corruptly,” Hasan asked.
“Tinubu didn’t create a militia, and I never said that,” Bwala responded firmly.
Hasan also cited Bwala’s past remark about suspicious cash movements into Tinubu’s residence during the election. Bwala repeated, “I never said that.”
The conversation turned to social media clips suggesting Bwala had previously claimed that Tinubu or his associates threatened him, including incidents of intimidation after criticising the then-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Pressed on this, Bwala maintained, “I never said that.”
Explaining his shift in stance, he noted that his past remarks were made while he was in opposition, where “the job of opposition is to oppose.”
