Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has denied making several critical comments about the Nigerian president during a televised debate.
Bwala, who serves as special adviser on media and policy communication, made the remarks during an appearance on the programme Head to Head on Al Jazeera, hosted by Mehdi Hasan on Friday.
The episode, titled “Nigeria: ‘Renewed Hope’ or ‘Hopelessness’?”, focused on the performance of the Tinubu administration, including issues such as insecurity, corruption allegations and the state of the economy.
During the interview, Hasan confronted Bwala with clips and statements from 2023, when Bwala supported the presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar ahead of Nigeria’s general election.
Hasan quoted a statement from January 2023 in which Bwala was alleged to have accused Tinubu and his allies of creating a militia to influence the election.
“I never said that,” Bwala responded when asked about the remarks.
The presenter continued by reading further comments attributed to Bwala suggesting that he had received threats linked to the issue. Bwala again rejected the claim, saying he had not made such statements.
When pressed on who might have made the comments if not him, Bwala instead defended the president, describing Tinubu as “one of the foremost politicians in Nigerian history”.
The discussion also touched on earlier allegations concerning cash movements linked to Tinubu during the 2023 election campaign, including reports of bullion vans entering the president’s residence.
Hasan said Bwala had previously raised the issue during an interview on Channels Television in February 2023. Bwala dismissed the claim, saying he had not made such an allegation.
Addressing other accusations relating to corruption and drug-related claims against the president, Bwala said the matter had already been settled by Nigeria’s courts.
“This fact was litigated in the Nigerian court, and the apex court of the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, held that the case has not been established against him,” he said.
Bwala acknowledged that he had previously been part of the opposition but said political positions can change.
“What is the job of opposition? To oppose,” he said, adding that his earlier comments should be seen in the context of political debate at the time.
He said he later decided to support Tinubu after the 2023 election, citing reforms introduced by the government.
“Politics is dynamic,” Bwala said. “Facts can change opinion.”
During the programme, he also rejected criticism of the administration’s record on corruption and insecurity. Responding to opinion polls suggesting that many Nigerians believe the government is corrupt, Bwala said people are entitled to their views but that opinions alone do not prove wrongdoing.
The interview comes amid ongoing debate in Nigeria about the government’s policies, economic reforms and security challenges since Tinubu took office in 2023.
