Bwala to El-Rufai: I protected Tinubu’s interest while you tried to retire him

By Kunle Sanni
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has once again responded to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai following a heated exchange over the state of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Tinubu administration.
In a post on his X account on Thursday, Bwala accused El-Rufai of acting out of vengeance rather than patriotism.
Bwala reminded El-Rufai that before the 2023 general elections, during the tenure of former APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole, he had always supported Tinubu’s ambitions, having come from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
He further stated that, unlike El-Rufai—who emerged from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) faction before the formation of the APC—had allegedly worked to undermine Tinubu politically.
“With respect, I am not a latter-day Asiwaju supporter. We both played our roles in his emergence as the party’s candidate ahead of the 2023 elections. And before then, while you were from the CPC faction of the APC, I was from the ACN.
“That explains why I worked with Comrade Oshiomhole when he chaired the party, among other things, to protect Asiwaju’s interests at a time when you and others vowed to retire him from politics,” Bwala said.
His statement was in response to an earlier remark by El-Rufai, who had described him as a latter-day Tinubu supporter.
El-Rufai also took a dig at Bwala, suggesting that he was merely defending Tinubu for personal gain.
“I was a cabinet minister 22 years ago and made it clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government.
“The pathetic manner in which all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something I never wanted in the first place perhaps reflects your level of moral flexibility,” El-Rufai said.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s post, Bwala advised the former Kaduna State governor to return to the party and resolve his grievances.
“I still think you don’t need all these melodramatic actions or a vengeance mission. Come back and resolve whatever grievances you think you have like the dignified man that you are,” he advised.