Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has disclosed that he underwent throat surgery just eight days after his widely publicised interview with Mehdi Hasan on Al Jazeera, an appearance that triggered intense online debate in Nigeria’s political space.
Bwala made the revelation during an interview on News Central on Saturday, where he also addressed the backlash that followed the broadcast, particularly from supporters of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, popularly known as “Obidients.”
“I underwent surgery on my throat eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan. I don’t know whether it is the ‘Obidient’ people that threw that African thing, but in any case, I’m back and strong,” he said.
The presidential aide alleged that some online critics had turned political disagreement into personal attacks, accusing them of placing partisan loyalty above national interest.
“I know the environment I come from; there exists a group on social media called the ‘Obidient’ who do not care about national interest or the security of Nigeria and will do everything possible to achieve the aim of their preferred candidate,” he added.
Bwala’s interview with the Al Jazeera journalist had generated widespread reactions online, with many Nigerians dissecting his exchanges with Hasan, who is known for his hard-hitting interviewing style.
Reacting to the encounter, Bwala described the session as a form of adversarial journalism aimed at challenging government narratives.
“What Mehdi Hasan did was what we call opposition-style journalism. He played the role of the opposition, trying to extract information that could discredit the government, but he could not,” he said.
According to him, part of the interview focused on his previous political statements about President Tinubu, which he admitted making while in opposition, but insisted he preferred to move beyond past comments.
“In the first 15 minutes, he questioned me about things I said when I was in the opposition. I admitted I said even more than what he mentioned, but I asked that we move on to the purpose of the interview,” he explained.
The interview continues to generate conversations across social media platforms, reflecting Nigeria’s increasingly polarised political discourse.
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