The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has fired back at Daniel Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign, following Bwala’s recent post-interview statement.
Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant to Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication, accused Bwala of “opportunistic merchandising of allegiance” and attempting to “parade falsehoods as though repetition could somehow elevate them into truth.”
The statement provided a number of strong claims against Mr. Bwala:
- Claim of Life Threat Hoax: Mr. Shaibu alleged that Bwala had previously requested the Atiku Media Team to issue a press statement claiming that President Tinubu and his associates were threatening his life. The team claims they deliberately declined this request, calling it a “frivolous and opportunistic attempt at political theatre.”
- Criticism of Interview Defense: He dismissed Bwala’s attempt to frame his recent interview with journalist Mehdi Hassan as “a heroic act of intellectual bravery.” Shaibu stated that anyone who watched the exchange “saw something quite different,” claiming the interviewer “methodically dismantled the talking points” and exposed contradictions between Bwala’s past and present political positions.
- ‘Politics’ Dismissal Condemned: It vehemently criticized Bwala’s use of the refrain “it was politics” to justify his previous strong criticisms of President Tinubu’s administration. Shaibu called it “both wicked and morally bankrupt to dismiss matters of grave national consequence as mere politics,” specifically referencing the loss of lives to insecurity.
- He mocked Bwala’s perceived struggles to reconcile his shifting loyalties with facts, and even took aim at his grasp of the English language, referencing his alleged misuse of the uncountable noun “water.”
Shaibu asserted that Bwala “did yesterday what he has always done — he did not clean the garment; he tore it,” and that his arguments to “defend the indefensible” are “half-baked, half-foolish, and wholly unconvincing.”
