Daniel Bwala, the newly appointed Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, has clarified his earlier controversial stance on the 2023 presidential election. Speaking during an interview with Arise News from 20:38, Bwala admitted that his initial claim that Tinubu’s victory was corruptly secured was politically motivated. “I no longer believe Tinubu corruptly won the election,” he declared.
“Then, I was playing politics. I didn’t care.”When asked whether his new position was influenced by his recent appointment in the Tinubu administration, Bwala firmly rejected the notion. “Not because I’m working for him,” he said. “Let me give you an example: when did I start working for him? Two, three weeks ago? In the past one year, what was I talking about?” He emphasized that his change in perspective was not about political alignment but about upholding legal principles and respecting the judicial process.Bwala noted that the President is the leader of the entire nation, and it is possible to commend him from across political divides.
“The fact of the matter is, the President is the President of Nigeria. You can still stay in your party and commend the President if he does something right,” he said. He also pointed out that democracy allows for dissent, even within a ruling party.Addressing his past comments, Bwala explained that his earlier remarks were made before the election tribunal and Supreme Court had delivered their verdicts. “I made that comment immediately after the election, even before we went for tribunal,” he stated. He reiterated his commitment to the rule of law, adding, “Whether he bought [the election] or not was ran through a judicial process, and it was rested. We call it res judicata.The judgment of the Supreme Court is binding on all authorities, and everybody abides by that.”