Presidential media aide Daniel Bwala has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against criticisms from opposition politicians, arguing that the President has demonstrated stronger democratic credentials than several leading opposition figures.
In a post shared on his X handle on Thursday, Bwala took aim at prominent opposition leaders including Omoyele Sowore, Peter Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing them of hypocrisy in their political conduct and ambitions.
According to him, many of those seeking to unseat President Tinubu are quick to criticise the administration without presenting practical alternatives to Nigerians.
“When you see these people wanting to take power from President Tinubu and constantly attacking his life, politics and policies, you would be forced to shake your head in disbelief,” Bwala wrote.
The presidential aide questioned the democratic records of the opposition figures, beginning with activist and politician Omoyele Sowore.
“@sowore Sowore who opens a political party and appoint himself as the national chairman in order to secure presidential ticket by way of adoption. Then when elections time approaches, he hands the chairmanship, after losing election he collects back the chairmanship till the next election. Is he a democrat?” he asked.
Bwala also criticised Labour Party’s Peter Obi, accusing him of seeking presidential tickets without going through party primaries.
“To @PeterObi who jumps from one party to another in search of a guaranteed ticket without primaries; meanwhile his deceived foot soldiers are subjected to primaries in the same party where he secures his ticket by adoption,” he stated.
He added that many of Obi’s supporters who participated in party primaries had failed, insisting that politics goes beyond activism.
“The foot soldiers and rabble rousers have all lost their primaries because politics is more than activism that they are good at,” Bwala said.
The presidential aide further accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of double standards in his approach to party defections and political ambition.
“To @atiku Wazirin Adamawa, who believes he has the rights to change political parties in search of his ambition and that is ok by him, but the minute those who supported him also pursue their aspirations away from him, he classify them as lacking character and betrayers,” he wrote.
He described the situation as “a classic case of slave and slave master,” adding that Atiku allegedly believes no one else should aspire to the presidency until he exits politics.
Bwala also referenced the political relationship between Atiku and Peter Obi, noting that Obi became a target of criticism after leaving the former vice president’s camp.
“Wanting to use Peter Obi and benefit from his followers, when Obi left, Obi is a bad man. The list goes on, and one common denominator is that President Tinubu is more a democrat than them all,” he added.
Defending Tinubu’s democratic credentials, Bwala pointed to the All Progressives Congress presidential primary process ahead of the 2023 election, insisting that the President allowed internal democracy to prevail despite being the preferred candidate.
“President Tinubu as a sitting president who should have option of first refusal, and we could have simply had a consensus, but when a member of our party said he too wants to run, a primaries was initiated so he will not be stifled. Now who is a democrat? You tell me,” he stated.
Bwala concluded by accusing opposition politicians of exploiting national challenges for political attacks instead of presenting clear policy alternatives to Nigerians.
“What all these opposition aspirants are doing everyday is to simply make noise about our government without offering a clear alternative path,” he wrote.
“Taking advantage of any misfortune that happens to Nigerians as talking points, calling us with all sorts of names without making a good case for their aspirations. Talk is cheap.”