Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Bornet .k
ABUJA, Nigeria – Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala has defended his past criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting they were "not lies" but have become "baseless" and no longer relevant to the country's current political realities.
Bwala made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, where he engaged in a tense exchange with the programme's anchor, Seun Okinbaloye. The discussion centred on statements Bwala made about Tinubu before joining the current administration as Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications.
Responding to repeated questions about his previous comments, Bwala expressed frustration, saying the issue had been raised several times by the presenter. He argued that revisiting his past opinions was no longer important and distracted from pressing national issues such as the economy, education and security.
During the interview, Okinbaloye asked whether describing his earlier comments as "baseless" meant they were lies. Bwala replied that they were "not lies", maintaining that they had simply become irrelevant to current conversations. He said Nigerians were more interested in the government's performance than in statements he made before joining the administration.
The presidential spokesman urged the discussion to focus instead on governance and recent developments, including a letter reportedly linked to United States President Donald Trump, which he said praised President Tinubu's efforts in addressing Nigeria's security challenges. Bwala argued that the Tinubu administration had made significant progress, particularly by improving collaboration among the country's security agencies.
Bwala also accused the programme's host of focusing disproportionately on his political past while failing to subject opposition figures to similar scrutiny. He referenced former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, noting that Obi had changed political parties several times and questioned whether the media had asked opposition politicians equally persistent questions about their past political positions.
According to Bwala, the opposition had failed to provide constructive alternatives and was instead relying on criticism of government officials. He maintained that the administration remained focused on addressing the country's economic and security challenges, insisting that Nigerians were more concerned about improvements in their daily lives than political exchanges over past remarks.
The interview comes amid increasing political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with government officials and opposition figures continuing to exchange criticisms over the performance of the Tinubu administration. Bwala, who was previously a vocal critic of the President before joining the government, has frequently faced questions regarding his change in political position.
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