Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has questioned the credentials of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, insisting that the former Anambra governor is not a genuine “labour” leader.
Bwala, speaking on The Clarity Zone Podcast posted on Wednesday, alleged that despite Obi’s wealth, there is “no record” of him floating a foundation or funding public-oriented projects.
“Peter Obi is a billionaire, multi-billionaire. There is no record that Peter has floated a foundation. Or a school. Anything that has to do with public interest and funded so they can meet the needs of the masses. Not a single one,” he said.
The presidential aide dismissed reports of Obi’s large donations, claiming: “He has never given beyond N50m, and even that one, I can tell you the circumstances behind it. He never gave N100m to anybody.”
Bwala also ridiculed the boreholes Obi was said to have sponsored in parts of the North after the elections.
“Do you know the type of borehole people gave them money to produce? Caveman days borehole — where somebody will climb and be bouncing like this before water will come out. This is the type of development in his mind. But Nigerians don’t know,” he alleged.
Beyond philanthropy, he said Obi’s political leanings were at variance with the Labour Party’s socialist outlook.
“Peter Obi is a capitalist by nature. He believes in free market economy. He’s a businessman. There is nothing resembling socialism around Peter Obi.
“But Peter Obi ran on the platform of Labour Party that is principally a socialist party. Tell me whether you have ever seen Peter Obi in any workers’ strike, protest or student unionism. Even during EndSARS, was he there? Yet, it is the same demographic he uses in campaigning,” Bwala said.
He likened Obi’s 2023 campaign to that of former United States President Donald Trump, describing it as populist and driven by youth discontent.
“In the last election, Obi just saw that the youth were not happy and he rode on that anger. They even said, ‘we no dey give shishi,’ because once you ride on their anger, they sponsor themselves to fight your cause,” Bwala added.
He further accused the Labour Party standard-bearer of exploiting church platforms during the election but abandoning them afterwards.
“He went to all the churches, met all the Pentecostal bishops. He was everywhere — Holy Ghost night, Holy Ghost morning, prophetic prayers. But after the election, I didn’t see him again. Like my church, we had Shiloh. I told my one of my pastors that Peter Obi no dey go Shiloh again,” he said.
Obi, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to Labour in 2022, anchored his campaign on the support of young people and churches under the “Obidient” movement.
Although Bwala insisted Obi has not funded public projects, records indicate he has in recent years made donations to health and educational institutions.