Bwala Exonerate Criticism Over Visit to President Tinubu

 The former spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2023 presidential election, Daniel Bwala, has said the former Vice President was aware of his meeting with President Bola Tinubu. 

Bwala stated this when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme. “I informed Atiku Abubakar I was going to see the President,” he said. His comment follows criticism of his visit to the president.

“After I had seen the President, I informed him (Atiku) that I had just seen the President and he replied me, ‘Thanks Daniel for notifying me’.”

Bwala added that he did not betray Atiku by choosing to back the former governor of Lagos State, who emerged victorious in the February 2023 presidential election.

“It’s absolute nonsense for somebody to say because I said I will support President Bola Tinubu, therefore I betrayed Atiku,” the lawyer said matter-of-factly on the programme.

He characterized as ludicrous the attacks that followed his unexpected endorsement of Tinubu, whom he maligned during the 2023 political campaign.

Recall that Bwala has pledged his total support to President Bola Tinubu. when he met with the President on Wednesday last week at the Presidential Villa. While speaking with States House correspondents after the meeting with Tinubu, Bwala, told them that he came on the invitation of the President.

Bwala said, “I honoreded the invitation of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is a father to the nation, who God has given the opportunity to lead the country at this difficult time, so I came to celebrate and congratulate him.

“I also gave him my commitment that as citizens of this country, this is the time for us to throw our weight behind and support the administration.”

When asked if his backing of the President would cause him to defect from the PDP and join the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bwala replied that he had visited the President in his capacity as a private citizen and that “God knows tomorrow.”

“Well, I am here as a private citizen who must be bound by the conviction we have towards our country and the need for us to push the country to a better place that we all desire. So, I am not here in the capacity of PDP, first of all, I am not even a leader in the PDP, I am a private citizen.

“But you must also admit that I had my history with the President when I was in APC, before the primaries I was practically his key spokesman at the time and I supported his course because I believed in him.

“I am also here to say that I am supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in achieving the objectives of the problems in the country, I don’t think at this time of hunger and problems in the country somebody should be here talking about the party and as per defection God knows tomorrow,” Bwala said.

Prior to departing the APC in the run-up to the general election of 2023, the attorney had backed Tinubu due to disagreements over the selection of a same-faith presidential ticket he left the party.