Mehdi Hassan employed ‘opposition-style journalism’ — Bwala

…says past views were raised without notice

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, says he was not informed that his past comments about the President would be brought up during his recent interview with broadcaster Mehdi Hasan.

In a press statement on Saturday, Bwala said that during nearly six months of communication ahead of the interview on Head to Head, there was no indication that questions about his past criticism of Tinubu would be part of the discussion.

“Nowhere in our almost six months of communication did they mention that they were going to challenge my past. If that had been their plan, ethically and professionally, they were supposed to inform me so I could prepare my response,” he said.

The presidential aide was reacting to widespread reactions on social media following the interview, which has generated mixed opinions across quarters.

In the interview, which aired on Thursday on Head to Head on Al Jazeera, Hassan repeatedly confronted Bwala with past statements he made criticising President Tinubu during his time as campaign spokesperson to former presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

In his statement, Bwala maintained that he accepted the role of defending the administration of President Tinubu with full awareness of the scrutiny that comes with the position, stressing that he remains willing to appear before any interviewer to defend government policies.

According to him, the interview request from the programme was originally framed around challenging the government on security, the economy and corruption.

He accused the interviewer of engaging in what he described as “opposition research-style journalism,” alleging that some of the quotes attributed to organisations during the interview were inaccurate or fabricated.

Addressing criticism over his past remarks about the President when he was in the opposition, Bwala said such statements were part of political contestation.