Daniel Bwala Underwent Throat Surgery Post-Al Jazeera Interview, Cites 'Obidients'

Daniel Bwala, who serves as Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, revealed that he underwent surgery on his throat approximately eight days after his significant interview with Al Jazeera's Mehdi Hasan. He shared this information during a recent appearance on News Central, addressing the considerable attention and criticism the interview had generated, especially from social media users.

"Eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan, I underwent surgery on my throat. I don’t know whether it is the ‘Obidient’ people that threw that African thing, but in any case, I’m back and strong,” Bwala stated, humorously attributing potential ill effects to the group.

The presidential aide also voiced his criticism of supporters of Peter Obi, often referred to as “Obidients,” suggesting they prioritize their candidate's agenda over the nation's welfare. He commented, “I know the environment I come from; it’s an environment where there exists a group on social media called the ‘Obidient,’ who do not care about national interest or the security of Nigeria and will do everything possible to achieve the aim of their preferred candidate.”

Bwala defended his handling of the Al Jazeera interview, characterizing Mehdi Hasan's journalistic approach as confrontational, akin to opposition-style reporting. He elaborated, “What Mehdi Hasan did was what we call opposition- style journalism, where you play the role of the opposition. He sought to elicit information from me to discredit the government, but he could not.”

He explained that a substantial part of the interview involved questions about his past comments regarding President Tinubu when Tinubu was in opposition. Bwala acknowledged making critical statements at the time but expressed a desire to move the conversation forward to the interview's intended purpose.

“In the first 15 minutes, he asked questions about things I said regarding President Tinubu when I was in the opposition. I admitted I had said even more than what he mentioned, but I requested that we move on to the purpose of the interview,” Bwala recounted.

The interview indeed sparked considerable debate, particularly across social media platforms.