A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ibrahim Osinowo, has slammed presidential aide Daniel Bwala over his recent comments in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Osinowo insisted that Bwala does not speak for the Nigerian government.
He emphasised that the official spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu remains Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy and spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“Bayo Onanuga is the spokesperson of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Daniel is not the spokesperson; he is a policy person. Those policies are still meant to be signed off by Bayo Onanuga,” Osinowo said.
He added that any official government communication should come through Onanuga or other designated officials such as Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development.
Osinowo accused Bwala of attempting to boost his personal profile through controversial statements.
“Daniel does not go to the United Kingdom to discuss. He just went there to renew his image, which many people see as that of a stanch liar and image destroyer,” he alleged.
The APC chieftain also noted that Nigerians seeking official government positions or information should rely on recognised communication channels.
“If you need anything about the APC government, you talk to Bayo Onanuga or Sunday Dare. These are the people in charge of public communication who convey the stand of the government to Nigerians, not Daniel,” he added.
Osinowo further accused Bwala of previously making false claims about President Tinubu, including alleging that the President created a militia—remarks the APC chieftain described as untrue.
Osinowo’s comments come amid widespread backlash against Bwala following his Al Jazeera interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan.