Presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala has criticised Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, over his recent remarks about the Bola Tinubu administration.
Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, questioned Obi’s right to comment on the June 12, 1993 democratic struggle, stating that Obi was in Asia at the time, engaged in business activities, with no record of involvement in the struggle.
During the Democracy Day celebrations, Obi urged President Tinubu to follow the examples of former presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.
He suggested Tinubu should acknowledge that the process through which he assumed power was flawed, like Yar’Adua did, and emulate Jonathan’s acceptance of electoral defeat which preserved Nigeria’s democracy.
Obi and his supporters have consistently maintained that the 2023 presidential election was fraught with irregularities and that its results should not stand. He also asserted that there is no democracy under Tinubu’s government.
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In a post on X on Friday evening, Bwala said he could find no evidence of Obi’s participation in Nigeria’s democratic struggle during the June 12 period.
He wrote, “Please can someone confirm to me whether it is true that on June 12, 1993 and weeks after that @PeterObi Peter Gregory Obi was in Malaysia or somewhere in Asia doing buying and selling trading business? I searched the internet to see any of his involvement in the struggle for democracy, I couldn’t see any link ohh.”
Bwala’s post drew mixed reactions from Nigerians, some questioning his credibility given his previous criticism of the Tinubu administration.
@Udoh_D responded, “Can you show any evidence of Tinubu’s involvement in the struggle for democracy during the period you referenced aside from fleeing to London to cool off? Uncle Dele even housed him at some point.”
@Alphama… commented, “As at the time you mentioned he was running a multimillion dollar business. He isn’t much older than you, but I wonder where you were then. It’s very nice you said he was running a legitimate business, not dealing drugs or laundering money. What do you mean by ‘struggle for democracy’? Most of those you referred to did what they did not for the sake of our country, but to grab power. Could every Nigerian have been marching on the streets then? Does the constitution say only those on the ground can claim the presidency? Sometimes when some of you talk, I question how your brains function.”
@Colman12Francis wrote, “You’re a waste of legal education if you actually claim to be a lawyer. Let us assume Tinubu fought for democracy in 1993. Are you suggesting he should be president for life? If fighting for democracy qualifies one for the presidency as your post suggests, what do we say of those who fought for independence? What in Tinubu’s government shows he understands democracy? Daniel @BwalaDaniel, may hunger that made all this charlatan never leave you or your descendants.”
