A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Showunmi, has criticised Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hasan over his conduct during a recent “Head to Head” interview with presidential aide Daniel Bwala.
Bwala, who serves as special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and policy communication, appeared on the programme on Thursday to discuss the administration’s policies and his previous remarks about the president.
During the interview, Hasan confronted Bwala with several past statements and video clips from when he was aligned with the presidential campaign of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.
The journalist also referenced comments critical of Tinubu and questioned the administration’s anti-corruption credentials, citing the appointment of Abubakar Bagudu as minister of budget and economic planning, whom he said had previously been indicted by the US Department of Justice for corruption.
The interview quickly gained traction online, with clips circulating widely across social media platforms and sparking mixed reactions.
Responding to the debate earlier, Bwala defended his performance, stating that his previous criticisms of Tinubu were made when he was in the opposition and should be understood within that context.
He also faulted Hasan’s approach to the interview, alleging that some quotes attributed to organisations and groups during the exchange were inaccurate.
‘Hostility is not journalism’
Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, Showunmi said the interview crossed the line between rigorous journalism and hostility.
“There is a clear difference between tough journalism and outright hostility. One serves the public interest. The other serves the ego of the interviewer. Unfortunately, the recent exchange between @mehdirhasan and presidential spokesperson @BwalaDaniel fell squarely into the latter category,” he said.
The PDP chieftain described the encounter as less of an interview and more of an ambush.
“Questions were framed less as inquiries into governance and more as prosecutorial traps. Responses were repeatedly interrupted before they could develop. Clarifications were brushed aside.
“The atmosphere was unmistakable: this was not a conversation designed to inform viewers but a spectacle designed to embarrass the guest,” he added.
Showunmi argued that professional interviewing requires discipline, balance and the willingness to allow guests explain their positions even when difficult questions are asked.
“It requires intellectual confidence strong enough to permit disagreement without descending into open hostility. Above all, it requires a commitment to substance over theatrics. That commitment was glaringly absent,” he said.
According to him, given Nigeria’s current economic challenges, governance reforms and national security concerns, the interviewer should have focused more on the government’s policies and strategies.
“Instead, viewers were treated to an exercise in selective outrage and repetitive interruption. But the deeper problem in the interview was tone,” Showunmi said.
Showunmi further stated that attempts by journalists to humiliate or ridicule interviewees undermine the core objective of journalism.
“The role of the interviewer is to hold power accountable, not to behave like a courtroom prosecutor seeking a viral ‘gotcha’ moment,” he said.
“When the pursuit of humiliation replaces the pursuit of insight, journalism loses its credibility. Audiences deserve better than that. They deserve interviews that illuminate policy, probe governance, and help citizens understand how leaders intend to confront the pressing challenges of the day. What they do not need is a theatrical performance in which hostility is mistaken for intellectual rigor.”
He maintained that strong questioning does not require aggression or contempt, adding that respectful engagement strengthens the credibility of journalism.
“If global media wishes to retain its claim to moral authority as a watchdog of democracy, it must remember a basic principle: the goal of journalism is to inform the public, not to stage spectacles at the expense of civility and substance,” he said.
Showunmi also urged the public not to treat political realignments as unusual, noting that alliances often shift in democratic politics.
“Former opponents become partners when national circumstances demand cooperation. It is neither shocking nor dishonorable, but the defining characteristic of democratic political life,” he said.
“History provides countless examples where leaders worldwide have entered alliances with former adversaries to meet governance needs. To pretend otherwise is either intellectual dishonesty or a deliberate attempt to create sensationalism where none exists.”
