March 7, 2026
News | SUNTV Global
The media team of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing attack on presidential aide Daniel Bwala, describing his recent appearance on an international television programme as embarrassing and riddled with contradictions.
Bwala, who serves as Special Adviser on Media and Policy Communication to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recently appeared on the “Head to Head” programme on Al Jazeera, hosted by journalist Mehdi Hasan, where he attempted to defend the policies and record of the Tinubu administration.
However, the interview quickly became contentious as the host confronted Bwala with several past statements he allegedly made while he was politically aligned with Atiku Abubakar, in which he criticised Tinubu before later joining the ruling camp.
Reacting to the interview, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, issued a statement in Abuja on Saturday accusing Bwala of misleading the public and struggling to defend the administration against hard facts.
According to Shaibu, what viewers saw was not a confident government spokesperson but a politician grappling with the contradictions of his past remarks and present role.
“What Nigerians witnessed was not fearless debate but a spokesperson struggling to reconcile shifting loyalties with inconvenient facts,” Shaibu said.
He further alleged that Bwala had previously approached Atiku’s media team requesting that they issue a statement claiming that Tinubu and his associates had threatened his life — a request Shaibu said the team declined.
The Atiku camp also criticised Bwala’s defence of the government’s handling of insecurity across the country, arguing that attempts to downplay the scale of violence and killings were irresponsible and insensitive.
Shaibu maintained that trivialising the deaths of thousands of Nigerians in recent years amounted to what he described as “moral bankruptcy” and undermined the seriousness of the country’s worsening security crisis.
Despite the criticism, Bwala has stood by his performance on the programme, insisting he has no regrets about representing the Tinubu administration on an international platform.
According to him, defending the policies and actions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains part of his official duty, adding that he would continue to do so anywhere in the world.
SUNTV Global reports.
