The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said he underwent throat surgery days after his widely debated interview with Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Bwala disclosed this on Friday during an appearance on News Central’s programme, 60 Minutes with Mr Kay, while reacting to the interview and the backlash that followed online.
“Eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan, I underwent surgery on my throat. I don’t know whether it is the ‘Obidient’ people that threw that African thing, but in any case, I’m back and strong,” he said.
He criticised a group of social media users he identified as “Obidients,” accusing them of placing political loyalty above national interest.
“I know the environment I come from; it’s an environment where there exists a species of ‘Trojans’ of social media called the ‘Obidient,’ who do not care about the national interest or the security of Nigeria and will do everything possible to achieve the aim of their hero, no matter the cost,” Bwala stated.
Bwala also defended his performance during the interview, describing Hasan’s style as confrontational.
“What Mehdi Hasan did was what we call opposition-style journalism, where you play the role of the opposition. In that interview, Mehdi sought to elicit information from me to discredit the government, but he could not,” he said.
He said the interview largely centred on his past criticisms of the Tinubu administration while he was in the opposition, which he admitted but attempted to move beyond.
“In the first 15 minutes, he started by asking me to answer questions relating to things I said about President Tinubu when I was in the opposition.
“Repeatedly, I admitted to them — I even said I had said more than what he mentioned — but I asked that we move on to the purpose of the interview,” he said.
Bwala added that he warned the interviewer against continuing along the same line of questioning.
“He continued doing it, and at a point, I warned him that if he kept going in that direction, I would deny it. He continued, and that was why I kept denying,” Bwala said.
Tribune Online reports that the interview drew widespread attention after host Hasan confronted Bwala with past statements he allegedly made about Tinubu while supporting former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election campaign.
During the exchange, Hasan cited remarks from January 2023 in which Bwala was said to have accused Tinubu of creating a militia to influence the election.
“You said Tinubu started a militia to sway the election corruptly,” Hasan put to Bwala.
“Tinubu didn’t create a militia, and I never said that,” he responded.
Hasan also referred to claims about alleged cash movements into Tinubu’s residence during an election.
“I never said that,” Bwala replied.
The interviewer further referenced video clips circulating online in which Bwala previously claimed that Tinubu or individuals linked to him had threatened him.
“I never said that,” Bwala insisted.
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