Bwala Denies Past Criticism Of Tinubu, Calls Critics ‘Drunken People’

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has repeatedly denied making several past critical remarks about the president during an appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head programme hosted by Mehdi Hasan.

The episode, themed “Nigeria: ‘Renewed Hope’ or ‘Hopelessness’?”, featured Bwala defending the Tinubu administration against criticism on issues including insecurity, corruption allegations, the economy, and past statements he made while in the opposition.

During the interview on Friday, Bwala was confronted with his old clips and statements while he was an opposition figure aligned with the presidential campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2023 election before joining the Tinubu administration.

One of the key exchanges centred on a statement Hasan said Bwala made on January 22, 2023, alleging that Tinubu and his allies created a militia to influence the 2023 election.

Hasan read the statement attributed to Bwala saying “Tinubu and his people created a militia. This is the first time in the history of Nigeria we’ve seen a political party creating a militant arm leading to election.”

But Bwala denied making the statement.

“I never said that,” he replied.

“You didn’t say that at a press conference on January 22nd, 2023?” Hasan asked.

Bwala responded, “I never said that.”

Hasan continued reading from the same remarks attributed to him: “He advised his people should grab by all means necessary the process leading to elections that they created this militia shortly after. We have seen violence in Nigeria and I myself have received threats from him and his camp.”

Bwala again rejected the claim.

“I never said he tried to kill me,” he said.

But when Hasan pointed out that the quote referenced threats, not an attempt to kill him, Bwala responded, “I never said that.”

When asked who made the comments if not him, Bwala responded by defending Tinubu instead stating, “Tinubu never created a militia. Tinubu is one of the foremost politicians in Nigerian history.”

Hasan further raised Bwala’s past remarks about suspicious cash movements into Tinubu’s residence during an election, referencing reports of bullion vans seen entering the president’s home.

“There is only one person in Nigeria who is alleged to have moved money through bullion vans, and that person is the presidential candidate. You said that on February 17th on Channel’s television, 2023,” Hasan said.

Bwala dismissed the claim that he had made such allegations. “I never said that,” he stated.

At another point, Hasan quoted Bwala’s earlier comments about drugs, narcotics and corruption allegations involving Tinubu.

Bwala responded by insisting that the matter had already been resolved in Nigeria.

“This fact was litigated in the Nigerian court, and the apex court of the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, whose decision is not appealable to any court outside Nigeria, held that this case has not been established against him,” he said.

As the questioning continued, Bwala explained that his previous remarks were made while he was part of the opposition and argued that the role of opposition politicians is to criticise those in power.

“What is the job of opposition? To oppose” he said.

He added that the statements from that period should be viewed within the context of political debate at the time and are no longer relevant to his current role defending the president and the policies of the Tinubu administration.

When asked how he could switch from being an opposition member to working with Tinubu, Bwala said, “Yeah, politics is, politics is dynamic. It is anchored on both national interests and personal interests and when you make a decision at any given time, there must be a factor what led to your decision.

“And in this case, I told you I made the decision to leave the president because of the Muslim Muslim Ticket. And after the election, I see the president introducing reforms that were necessary for the growth of Nigeria. I made a U-turn to support him.

“I think that is the basic component of a human being, your ability to decide otherwise, if you feel the facts are there.Facts can change opinion. And in this case, the facts changed my opinion,” he said.

Bwala also dismissed other criticisms directed at the president, including rising insecurity in the country and public opinion polls suggesting widespread distrust of the administration.

When asked about a poll indicating that two-thirds of Nigerians believe Tinubu’s government is corrupt, Bwala dismissed such statemt as words from “drunken people.”

“Nigerians are entitled to hold and express opinion.
Yes. It is in our constitution. The fact that you express an opinion does not substantiate that opinion,” he said.

Earlier in the programme, Bwala also defended the Nigerian government’s security record and cooperation with the United States in counterterrorism operations, amid criticism from the host and other panellists about rising insecurity, poverty and kidnapping.