APC Chieftain Slams Daniel Bwala, Says He Was Sipping Tea at Atiku’s Abuja Residence While Loyalists Toiled for Tinubu’s Victory
Tempers are flaring within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a prominent party chieftain has launched a attack on presidential aide Daniel Bwala, accusing him of disloyalty and opportunism at a time when the party is still basking in the glow of President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory.
Dr. Ibrahim Osinowo, a former member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, did not mince words during a no-holds-barred interview on News Central TV, where he painted a vivid picture of Bwala’s alleged absence from the trenches of the campaign trail, claiming instead that the fiery lawyer was lounging comfortably in the Abuja home of opposition leader Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.
“Daniel is nowhere to be found during the real work. Daniel is in Atiku’s house in Abuja, drinking tea, eating bread, and concocting lies against Asiwaju,” Osinowo thundered, referring to President Tinubu by his popular Yoruba nickname, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose victory was hard-fought amid fierce political battles across the nation.
Osinowo’s outburst comes amid growing murmurs of discontent among APC rank-and-file members, who feel that true loyalists who braved the storms, both literal and figurative, for the party’s success are being overshadowed by recent converts like Bwala, whose dramatic switch from vocal critic to presidential defender has raised more questions than accolades.
The chieftain expressed profound shock at Bwala’s rapid elevation, recalling how the aide had previously derided Tinubu’s supporters as “bootlickers” during the heat of the campaign, only to now occupy a perch within the Presidential Villa, the seat of Nigeria’s executive power.
He was quick to set the record straight, emphasising that Bwala does not hold the official position of presidential spokesperson, a role firmly occupied by seasoned journalist Bayo Onanuga, while dismissing Bwala’s recent high-profile appearance on international broadcaster Al Jazeera as yet another desperate bid for cheap relevance, built on the time-honoured tactic of tearing down others to elevate oneself.
This pattern, Osinowo argued, undermines the sacrifices of party faithful who stood firm in the rain, facing mudslinging and electoral hurdles, only to watch latecomers reap the rewards of their labours.
The intra-party friction highlights deeper tensions within the APC as it navigates the post-election landscape, with loyalists voicing pain and disappointment over what they perceive as a sidelining of grassroots warriors in favour of high-profile defectors whose loyalties remain suspect.
As Nigeria grapples with pressing national challenges under the Tinubu administration, from economic reforms to security imperatives, such public spats risk distracting from the government’s agenda and fueling perceptions of internal discord at the highest levels.
Neither Bwala nor the Presidency has issued an immediate response to Osinowo’s allegations, but political observers say the episode underscores the delicate balancing act required to consolidate power in Africa’s most populous nation, where alliances can shift as swiftly as the harmattan winds.
