ABUJA, Nigeria — Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, has dismissed the political movement being championed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai as lacking grassroots relevance and momentum.
Speaking on Focus Nigeria, a current affairs programme aired on AIT on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, Bwala said el-Rufai’s coalition has already “lost steam” and described it as a media-driven buzz with little electoral substance.
“I give you an example of a governor; a former governor that left us, and he’s moving a coalition, generating buzz, according to them,” Bwala said in response to a question referencing el-Rufai.
“Now, take, for example… when they see him talking, they will think as if he will move like a clap of thunder out of a blue sky. But in politics… it’s a science. You look at stats, you look at numbers, you look at trajectory.”
Bwala pointed to what he called el-Rufai’s dwindling popularity toward the end of his second term, citing losses by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna during the 2023 general elections.
“In the second half of his term… the APC lost three Senate seats and a number of House of Representatives positions. The president also lost the election there. Political scientists look at those things as indices,” he said.
“This one is like Andrew Liver Salt. Even when he started, it was like that. Then it calmed down. That’s what is happening. Nobody talks about him. Nobody looks for him.”
Bwala also questioned the political weight often attributed to northern elites, arguing that a handful of prominent individuals are wrongly perceived to represent the entire region.
“When we talk of the north, there are times there is a misconception. People identify five eggheads and call them the north. Some of them are disconnected from the source,” he said.
He acknowledged southern sentiment in favour of a power rotation and argued that it was fair for southerners to support a presidency from their region.
“The southern people generally have a sentiment that the north has done eight years. The south should be allowed to do eight years,” he said.
“They will not vote for the northern candidate. They will vote for a southern candidate. And it is fair, just, and equitable.”
Bwala’s comments follow a wave of criticism from el-Rufai, who in April described the Tinubu-led federal government as “the worst and most corrupt” in Nigeria’s history.
He also accused the administration of being the most intolerant since the return to democracy in 1999.
In contrast, Bwala defended Tinubu’s popularity and performance, referencing a recent visit to Katsina where, he claimed, crowds lined the streets in support of the president.
“They say the president is not popular,” Bwala said.
“We went to Katsina with the president… from the airport to the city, people lined up.”
El-Rufai’s political future remains unclear, with speculation around a potential return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gaining traction.
Bwala hinted at such prospects, stating, “Even among the people who are talking about coalition now, he said he wants to move somewhere.
They say, ‘Come back to PDP.’”
