Bwala defends Al Jazeera interview, accuses anchor of ‘fake news’

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has defended his appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head programme, dismissing criticism that followed the interview.

Bwala said he had no regrets defending the Tinubu administration before host Mehdi Hasan, insisting he would do so again anywhere in the world.

The interview, which aired on Thursday, triggered widespread reactions on social media, particularly on X, where clips of the exchange went viral and critics described Bwala’s performance as embarrassing.

During the programme, Hasan repeatedly confronted Bwala with past comments in which he criticised Tinubu, including remarks made before his 2023 defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

When Bwala denied making some of the statements, Hasan produced video clips of the comments, prompting further reactions online.

The host also questioned him about Nigeria’s security situation, citing reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, while critics said Bwala struggled to counter the claims with official data.

However, in a statement issued on Saturday, Bwala said the backlash was largely driven by opposition supporters and would not distract him from his responsibilities.

“The majority of the naysayers are members of the opposition and their sympathisers. It does not bother me one bit,” he said.

Bwala also dismissed suggestions that his performance was inadequate, stating that his role was to promote and defend the President and his administration.

According to him, the programme’s producers had contacted him nearly six months earlier to discuss issues relating to security, the economy and corruption but did not indicate that the interview would focus on his past statements.

“Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past,” he said.

He further accused Hasan of using what he described as “opposition research-style journalism,” alleging that some of the quotes attributed to him during the interview were inaccurate while others were “outright fake news.”

On his earlier criticisms of Tinubu before joining the administration, Bwala said such comments were part of normal partisan politics.

“I am glad those were things I said when I was in the opposition saddle with such zeal. It is all politics,” he said.

Despite his criticism of the interview’s conduct, Bwala described Hasan as “arguably one of the best debaters”, adding that he still respected the journalist.

He also said he would be willing to return to the programme for another interview, where discussions could focus more on the administration’s policies and achievements.