A tense confrontation occurred on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday between Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, and TV host Rufai Oseni.
The argument began when Oseni pressed Bwala on his decision to join the government he had previously criticized.
Bwala, responding defensively, told Oseni not to instruct him on how to speak, claiming,
“I’m not writing JAMB here; you cannot control me or talk to me like a secondary student. If you ask a question, pack and listen to the answer.”
Before his appointment to the current administration, Bwala had sharply criticized Tinubu, accusing him of electoral fraud and questioning his moral standing.
As a spokesperson for 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bwala had accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of rigging the election.
He referred to Tinubu as a “president-select” rather than a “president-elect” in a May 2023 interview.
In a March 2023 interview, Bwala claimed that the PDP had won the election by over one million votes.
However, during Tuesday’s interview, Bwala stated that his opinion had evolved after engaging with President Tinubu, who saw fit to offer him his current position.
Bwala explained, “I criticized Tinubu’s election and administration in the past because I was in the opposition.
“The opposition’s job is to hold the government accountable. My perspective shifted after I met the President, who saw the need to appoint me.”