Bwala Accuses Al Jazeera Of Editing Interview To Misrepresent Him

The Presidential Spokesperson on Policy Communication for President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has accused Al Jazeera of selectively editing his recent interview.

THE WHISTLER reports that the interview titled “Head to Head with Daniel Bwala” on Al Jazeera was conducted by journalist Mehdi Hasan, and shared on YouTube last week.

However, some parts of the interview showing Daniel Bwala denying his earlier statement against President Bola Tinubu using the words “I never said that” was widely shared on social media, drawing backlash from some Nigerians who described Bwala’s responses as embarrassing.

Speaking in an interview with On-Air Personality Daddy Freeze, Bwala said, “There is a fact that was incorrectly portrayed and has formed the basis of many opinions online, which was unfortunately pushed by Al Jazeera. I asked them to put the record straight.”

He explained that the interview took place on February 11, 2026, and was originally intended to run for one hour and 20 minutes.

“The interview was conducted properly. Questions were asked, and I answered them. I didn’t deny anything,” he said.

Bwala also claimed that when the network uploaded the interview online on March 5, only 49 minutes of the conversation were included, omitting nearly 20 minutes of content.

He added that an 8-minute version later circulated, which “joined and cut parts of the interview in a way that emphasized certain points while leaving out crucial context.”

Following this, Arise News Morning Show anchor, Oseni Rufai, slammed Daniel Bwala over his claim.

There is real accountable journalism, and that’s what Mehdi practices,” Rufai said while talking about Bwala’s embarrassing moment.

“What is obvious is that most Nigerian officials are used to being pampered.

“Before, they used to send them the questions for the interview in advance. They used to give them areas of concentration. That’s what a lot of them are used to.

“So they keep citing the BBC standard, which is obviously colonial standard, which is also colonial standard, baked around respect for governmental officials.

“Number one, Bwala claims that the interview was doctored but the first place I saw the interview was on Bwala’s page. So was it the doctored version he shared on this page?

“Did you watch it before you posted it on your page? And why didn’t he raise concerns then? Why was it after the backlash, that concerns were raised?

“The second part of this conversation, I also have to ask is, yes, you claim that it was doctored, but we saw the interaction and we saw the answers you gave. You also cited the part you said, oh, people in opposition will normally oppose.

“And the same eight minutes…So it was not that they were adding extra materials, it was the quote that Bwala himself said, and they just added the videos to be able to make it (clearer.),” Rufai noted.