I never said Tinubu created militia to sway election – Daniel Bwala

2026-03-07 - 07:17

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has denied ever accusing the president of creating a militia to influence the 2023 election. Bwala made the clarification during a recent appearance on Al Jazeera’s “Head to Head” programme hosted by Mehdi Hasan. The episode, which examined the Tinubu administration under the theme “Nigeria: ‘Renewed Hope’ or ‘Hopelessness’?”, saw Hasan confront the presidential aide with past comments, clips and statements from when he was an opposition figure aligned with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign. During the interview, Hasan referred to a January 22, 2023 remark attributed to Bwala, in which he allegedly claimed Tinubu created a militia to corruptly sway the election. “You said Tinubu started a militia to sway the election corruptly,” Hasan said. “Tinubu didn’t create a militia, and I never said that,” Bwala responded. Hasan also cited another previous remark about suspicious cash movements into Tinubu’s residence during an election period. Bwala again denied making the claim. “I never said that,” he said. Clips circulating on social media have also shown Bwala in the past alleging that Tinubu or members of his political camp threatened him, including references to intimidation following his criticism of the then-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress. When asked about those claims during the interview, the presidential aide again rejected the assertion. “I never said that,” he said. Bwala explained that his earlier statements were made while he was part of the political opposition. According to him, “the job of opposition is to oppose.” He added that the comments formed part of political rhetoric at the time and should not be viewed in the same light now that he serves in government defending the president’s policies.