The Atiku Media Office has responded strongly to recent remarks made by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, saying his statements reflect growing anxiety in the presidency over the momentum of the opposition coalition being led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the media office described Bwala’s comments on a TVC interview as “disparaging,” “pathetic,” and laced with “bitterness and duplicity.”
“It is both ironic and pathetic that Mr. Bwala — a political turncoat who once served as spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign — now presumes to lecture a statesman of global standing on matters of legacy, destiny, and retirement,” the statement said.
According to the release, Bwala’s criticism is part of a calculated attempt by the presidency to undermine the growing influence of the Atiku-led national coalition.
“His sanctimonious pontificating, laced with bitterness and duplicity, betrays a desperate effort to curry favour with a floundering administration clearly shaken by the unstoppable momentum of the national coalition being galvanized by Atiku and other progressive leaders.”
The Atiku Abubakar political coalition has continued to draw attention in Nigeria’s political landscape, and the Atiku Media Office suggests this is precisely what is making the ruling party nervous.
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“Let it be clearly stated: Atiku Abubakar neither seeks nor requires validation from political opportunists who shed principles as easily as they change parties. Mr. Bwala’s current relevance, if any, is owed entirely to the platform he once occupied under Atiku’s leadership — a fact that should breed humility, not arrogance.”
The statement further questioned the ruling party’s apparent obsession with Atiku’s political future.
“If, as they claim, Atiku is a spent force, why the relentless smear campaign? Why the strategic allocation of presidential platforms to attack him? The answer is plain: Atiku Abubakar remains the single most formidable opposition figure in Nigeria, and the coalition he is forging represents a clear and present danger to the decaying edifice of the ruling party.”
It described Bwala’s remarks as part of a broader strategy to discredit a coalition that threatens to “reclaim Nigeria from economic collapse, institutional failure, and democratic erosion.”
“No amount of historical revisionism or sanctimony can obscure the fact that Atiku has been a central pillar in Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, championing reform, restructuring, and electoral integrity when others chose complicity.”
The statement emphasized Atiku’s legacy as one that cannot be diminished by “defectors turned today’s defenders of dysfunction.”
“Legacy is not defined by the trappings of office but by courage, consistency, and conviction. Atiku Abubakar’s legacy — as a unifier, builder, and patriot — is deeply etched in the consciousness of millions of Nigerians. It is impervious to the revisionist bile of yesterday’s defectors turned today’s defenders of dysfunction.”
The Atiku Abubakar political coalition, the statement reiterated, remains focused on building a united, progressive Nigeria and would not be distracted by attacks from political aides.
“We reaffirm, unequivocally, that the Waziri Adamawa remains focused and unshaken in his commitment to Nigeria’s future. He will not be distracted by political jesters masquerading as patriots. The rescue and rebuilding of Nigeria is a task of urgent national importance — far too important to be derailed by the petty ego trips of desperate presidential aides.”
The media office signed off by urging Nigerians to focus on the goal of national recovery and not be misled by “the petty distractions of a worried government.”
