The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communications and Media, Daniel Bwala, has described members of the opposition coalition as largely “internally displaced politicians” driven by desperation for power.
Bwala spoke on Thursday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the state of opposition politics in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He added that the opposition had failed to offer Nigerians a credible alternative, insisting that many of its leading figures were motivated by personal grievances and political ambition.
“They are actually denying the Nigerian people the opportunity to make a choice. The opposition consists largely of internally displaced politicians, some of whom are desperate for power. Some are aggrieved because they left our party and, in their own words, opportunities were not given to them, and some because they are desperados, so to speak.
“Desperate people do desperate things. That is why in the last few months they have been up and about, doing desperate things. But the Nigerian people are watching,” Bwala said.
The presidential aide also criticised recent defections and political realignments among opposition figures, accusing some politicians of contradicting positions they previously held against members of the ruling party.
“A few days ago, [they were] fighting each other on different television stations. Some are now trying to explain why they have to be jumping from one political party within months.
“This was the same thing they were using against us. In those days, they say we changed parties. We don’t have principles. But you can see how they’ve been jumping up and down like table tennis. And so it is really sad,” he stated.
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According to him, the ruling party would prefer a stronger and more organised opposition capable of presenting alternative ideas to Nigerians.
“We’re actually saddened by the fact that they have not been able, given all the opportunities they have, to come together and stay organised so we can have a competitive election and a viable opposition in government,” he said.
Opposition politics ahead of the 2027 elections have been marked by major realignments to stall President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Defections and internal crises have been at the forefront. A proposed opposition “mega-coalition” built around the African Democratic Congress (ADC) initially united key figures like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai.
But it appears fractured after Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso defected to the newly formed Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday.
The opposition is now split mainly between the traditional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the emerging NDC “Third Force”.
Internal leadership disputes in the PDP, crises in the Labour Party, and legal battles affecting parties like the ADC have weakened unity efforts.
‘Familiar Customers’
Despite the realignments, Bwala is confident of the APC’s win next year. He maintained that anyone seeking to challenge President Tinubu in 2027 must present convincing alternatives to Nigerians rather than relying on political rhetoric.
When asked whether President Tinubu or the ruling party would be concerned about facing former Vice President Atiku or Obi in another presidential contest, Bwala dismissed their chances of winning next year.
“All of them are familiar customers to Asiwaju, including the one who did not contest as a presidential candidate in the primaries, Rotimi Amaechi. He defeated them in 2023 when the odds were against him,” he said.
Bwala also took aim at Obi’s political movement, describing the former Anambra governor as a “nomadic politician” since leaving the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
He argued that the Obidient movement appeared stronger online than in actual political structures on the ground, describing them as “bot accounts”.
On Atiku, Bwala described the former vice president as an experienced politician who now faces “father time”– the challenge of age in active politics.
The presidential aide rejected claims that the Tinubu administration was unstable, insisting that the Nigerian economy was gradually recovering with support from international financial institutions like the World Bank and Bretton Woods.
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