Bwala faced cross-examination, not interview, says TV anchor Aniagolu
An anchor with Arise TV, Charles Aniagolu, has criticised the recent appearance of presidential aide Daniel Bwala on Al Jazeera, saying the programme resembled a cross-examination rather than a conventional interview.
Bwala had appeared on Head to Head, a programme hosted by journalist Mehdi Hasan, which examined the administration of President Bola Tinubu under the theme “Nigeria: Renewed hope or hopelessness?”.
Reacting to the exchange in a post on social media on Sunday, Aniagolu argued that the host focused largely on questioning Bwala’s credibility rather than discussing government policies.
According to him, Hasan relied heavily on previous remarks attributed to Bwala during the interview, using them to highlight what he described as contradictions in the presidential aide’s positions.
“Mehdi Hasan didn’t interview Daniel Bwala — he cross-examined him. Hasan used past words as evidence to interrogate Bwala’s contradictions, and because the interview centred on credibility rather than policy, Hasan controlled the narrative,” Aniagolu said.
During the programme, Hasan confronted Bwala with statements allegedly made in 2023 when the presidential aide was aligned with the campaign of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar. The host cited remarks in which Bwala was said to have accused Tinubu of creating a militia to influence the election, a claim the presidential aide denied during the interview.
Hasan also referenced other comments attributed to Bwala concerning alleged cash movements linked to Tinubu during the election period, but the presidential aide again rejected the claims.
Responding to criticism that followed the broadcast, Bwala said he remained ready to defend the Tinubu administration anywhere in the world, adding that his earlier comments about the president were made while he was in the opposition.
