In an interview from 5:08 on Symfoni TV, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, responded skeptically to claims that Peter Obi had built a solid base of lawmakers behind him, arguing that a closer look at the people who had once been closest to Obi told a far more revealing story about the true nature of his support.
Bwala turned the question back on his interviewer, suggesting that the names being cited as current followers needed to be weighed against the names of those who had already walked away. “I would have asked you the question conversely in the same way that you mentioned these individuals you said that followed him,” he said, before firing off a pointed set of questions. “I ask you, where is Valentine Ozigbo? I ask you, where is Kenneth Okonkwo?” he challenged, using two prominent names to illustrate a broader pattern of departure.
He made clear that the exodus was not limited to a handful of individuals but extended to many of the key architects of Obi’s 2023 presidential run. “We can mention many. There are quite a number of people that actually moved him, they ran his movement in 2023. Why are they not with him now?” he asked, framing their absence as a damning commentary on Obi’s ability to retain genuine loyalty.
Bwala then cast doubt on the motivations of those now reportedly rallying to Obi’s side, suggesting that their interest had less to do with conviction and more to do with personal political calculation. “Why is it that these new individuals that you are saying are following him, they are moving to that because of the actualization of automatic ticket?” he asked, implying that the promise of a guaranteed path to the ballot, rather than genuine belief in Obi’s leadership, was the real magnet drawing them in….Read_More…