Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy, Daniel Bwala, has acknowledged that his past criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’ and his administration stemmed from his position as one of strong vocal voices in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr Bwala, who featured on Arise TV’s Morning Show, explained that everything he said about Mr Tinubu, especially during the 2023 general elections were now “irrelevant.”

“I criticised Tinubu’s election and administration in the past because I was in the opposition. The opposition’s work is to criticise the sitting government and hold them accountable,” he said during the TV programme on Tuesday, adding that “My views changed after I met the president, and he saw a need to appoint me.”

However, now serving as a media aide to the President, Mr Bwala downplayed his past remarks, saying, “They are not relevant.”

Asked about his reason for his change of course, Mr Bwala insisted the role of opposition in the country is “to criticise the sitting government and hold them accountable.’’.

Mr Bwala also dismissed a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai’s recent criticism of Tinubu-led administration as expression of frustration,  urging the former governor to meet with the president.

“Most of what Nasir El-Rufai kept talking about, I do not consider them as part of opposition politics because he is not in the opposition, and that’s the mark difference between when I criticised the president because I left the party and you’re within the party, and then you’re fighting,” Mr Bwala noted.

Recall that Mr Bwala had in the build-up to the 2022 general election dumped the All Progressives Congress when the governing party fielded a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket with Mr Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shettima. 

He later joined the main opposition PDP and declared support for the PDP’s standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar, before becoming a spokesman for his campaign organisation. 

Mr Bwala was one of Mr Tinubu’s fiercest critics, questioning the credibility of the electoral process that produced the president. 

Earlier before his appointment, Mr Bwala accused Mr Tinubu of rigging the presidential election and also predicted challenges with moral legitimacy for his presidency. 

“Although the presumption of law is in favour of Tinubu until the final determination of the election tribunal and appeals, he will struggle with moral legitimacy (because he rigged the election) for 240 days of his presidency,” he posted on X, formerly twitter during one his criticisms of Mr Tinubu’s administration.

During one of his past interviews on Arise TV, Mr Bwala described Mr Tinubu as a “president-select” rather than a “president-elect,” alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission manipulated election results.

He also accused prominent figures of clandestinely supporting the APC-led government and Mr Tinubu for cultural and tribal reasons. 

Despite his criticism of Mr Tinubu, Mr Bwala, a lawyer, was appointed by the president on November 14, 2024.