Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has revealed that he once feared the Nigerian leader would politically target him over his past criticisms while he was in the opposition.
Bwala made the disclosure during an interview on Symfoni TV on Saturday, where he spoke extensively about President Tinubu’s leadership style and his personal experience after the 2023 general election.
According to the presidential aide, he initially believed Tinubu would go after him because of the strong criticisms he directed at the now-president during his days in the opposition camp.
Bwala stated that the fear became so intense that he considered leaving Nigeria entirely to focus on his academic pursuits abroad.
He said, “I feared Tinubu would hunt me down. You see this is the dynamics that leadership sometimes get confronted, I must be honest.
“And this President Bola Tinubu, look at his trajectory, all the people that have been condemning him, even me, when I was in the opposition I thought that if President Tinubu comes to power he was going to hunt me down.
“That was the year I decided to just go for PhD. Let me just leave Nigeria alone. He never did that; the next thing is he called me to come so I can be a part of what is happening in the government’s affairs.”
Bwala’s remarks have since sparked reactions among political observers, especially given his previous role as a vocal critic of Tinubu and the ruling administration before joining the government.
Meanwhile, the presidential aide also disclosed that President Tinubu attempted to reconnect with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, shortly after the 2023 presidential election.
According to Bwala, Tinubu reached out to Atiku through some emissaries after assuming office as part of efforts to establish communication with the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate despite the political tension that followed the election.
Bwala explained that he was aware of the development because he remained close to Atiku at the time the incident occurred.
He alleged that the individuals sent by Tinubu reportedly visited Atiku’s residence but were unable to gain access to the former vice president.
According to him, Atiku instructed that the gate should not be opened for the visitors when they arrived.
Bwala said the development showed that Tinubu had made efforts to reach out and build communication channels after taking over leadership of the country.
The latest revelation adds another dimension to the political relationship between Tinubu and Atiku, who were fierce rivals during the 2023 presidential contest.
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