After the confrontation with Al Jazeera, Bwala says he underwent throat surgery

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political Communication, Daniel Bwala, has revealed that he underwent throat surgery just eight days after his widely publicized interview with Mehdi Hasan on Al Jazeera, an appearance that triggered intense online debate in the Nigerian 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 the Labor Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, popularly known as “Obidients”.

“I had throat surgery eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan. I don’t know if ‘Obidient’ started that African thing, but either way I’m back and I’m strong,” he said.

The presidential aide said some online critics have turned political disagreement into personal attacks, accusing them of putting partisan loyalty before the national interest.

“I know the background I come from; there is a group on social media called ‘Obidient’ who do not care about Nigeria’s national interest or security and will do everything possible to achieve the goal of their preferred candidate,” he added.

Bwala’s interview with the Al Jazeera journalist generated widespread reactions online, with many Nigerians dissecting his exchanges with Hasan, known for his hard-hitting interview style.

Reacting to the meeting, 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 failed,” he said.

According to him, part of the interview focused on his previous political statements about President Tinubu, which he admitted he had made while in opposition, but insisted he preferred to move beyond past comments.

“In the first 15 minutes he questioned me about things I had said when I was in the opposition. I admitted that I had said even more than he said, but I asked to move on to the purpose of the interview,” he explained.

The interview continues to generate conversations across social media platforms, reflecting Nigeria’s increasingly polarized political discourse.

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