‘It Was Cross-examination’ — Charles Aniagolu says Mehdi Hasan Didn’t Interview Bwala

Charles Aniagolu, an anchor with Arise TV, says Mehdi Hasan “cross-examined” Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, during a recent interview on Al Jazeera.

Aniagolu is reacting to Bwala’s appearance on Head to Head, a programme hosted by Hasan, which examined President Bola Tinubu’s administration with the theme “Nigeria: Renewed hope or hopelessness?”

In a comment posted on his X handle on Sunday, Aniagolu said the exchange was not an interview but a cross-examination that focused more on Bwala’s credibility rather than policy issues.

“Mehdi Hasan didn’t interview Daniel Bwala — he cross-examined him,” he wrote.

“Hasan used past words as evidence to interrogate Bwala’s contradictions. And because the interview centred on credibility rather than policy, Hasan controlled the narrative, and Bwala never regained it.”

BWALA’S APPEARANCE ON AL JAZEERA

During the programme, Hasan confronted Bwala with past statements he allegedly made about Tinubu when he was aligned with the presidential campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the opposition.

The host referenced a January 22, 2023, remark in which Bwala was said to have claimed that Tinubu created a militia to influence the election.

“You said Tinubu started a militia to sway the election corruptly,” Hasan had asked during the interaction. But Bwala denied making the statement.

“Tinubu didn’t create a militia, and I never said that,” the presidential aide replied.

Hasan also cited other past comments attributed to Bwala, including claims about suspicious cash movements into Tinubu’s residence during an election period and alleged threats from members of the president’s camp.

Bwala again denied making the statements when pressed.

The presidential aide explained that his earlier remarks were made when he was in the opposition, adding that “the job of the opposition is to oppose”.

Responding to the backlash that followed the interview, Bwala said he remains willing to defend the administration anywhere in the world.

He said the programme had approached him months earlier to discuss security, corruption and the economy but did not indicate that his past statements would be the focus of the discussion.

“Promoting and defending the president and his administration is what I do with ease and joy,” Bwala said.

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On his previous criticisms of Tinubu, he added that “those were things I said when I was in the opposition saddle with such zeal. It is all politics.”

Bwala also accused the interviewer of using what he described as “opposition research-style journalism” and claimed that some of the quotations cited during the programme were inaccurate or misrepresented.

The nearly 50-minute interview, which examined the Tinubu administration’s handling of issues such as insecurity, poverty and corruption, has drawn widespread comments and criticism of the current government.