• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

A media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has criticized presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala over his recent television interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, saying the appearance exposed contradictions between Bwala's past criticisms of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his current role defending it. In a statement issued on Saturday titled "Weep Not for Bwala, Weep for Nigeria," Shaibu accused the presidential aide of attempting to rewrite his political history while defending the Tinubu administration. The response from Atiku's media team has further inflamed the controversy generated by Bwala's outing on Al Jazeera, which has continued to spark reactions across political and media circles. Shaibu described Bwala's reaction to the interview as misleading, arguing that his attempt to defend the government reflected shifting political loyalties rather than firm conviction. He further claimed that Bwala had previously reached out to members of the Atiku Media Team, urging them to issue a statement alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his associates were threatening his life. "We remain in possession of his message requesting that the Atiku Media Team issue a press statement claiming that President Tinubu and his associates were threatening his life. He was quite insistent that we amplify that narrative at the time," Shaibu said. He said the request was rejected because it appeared to be, in his words, "a frivolous and opportunistic attempt at political theatre." Shaibu also rejected Bwala's portrayal of the interview with Hasan as an act of courage, insisting that the exchange instead highlighted contradictions between Bwala's earlier criticisms of the administration and his current role defending it. According to him, the interviewer confronted Bwala with his previous statements about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, forcing him to explain the sharp contrast between those remarks and his present position as a spokesperson for the government. He added that Bwala struggled to reconcile his earlier remarks about Tinubu with his present role, often resorting to dismissing criticisms of the administration as "fake news." Shaibu further criticized what he described as attempts to downplay the impact of insecurity in the country. "The wastage of thousands of Nigerian lives to insecurity over the past two years cannot be brushed aside as mere politics," he said, adding that such remarks trivialize the suffering of Nigerians. The Atiku aide also took a swipe at Bwala's language during the interview, criticizing what he described as a grammatical error when the spokesperson referred to "a water." "It is always risky when a man who cannot count water begins to count his arguments as facts," Shaibu said, noting that water is an uncountable noun and should not be used in that context. He concluded that attempts by Bwala to portray his political shift as principled would not erase past records. "History, unfortunately for him, keeps receipts. And so do we," the statement added. Source: https://independent.ng/atikus-aide-tackles-bwala-says-tv-interview-unmasked-his-shifting-loyalties/