There was a heated exchange between Presidential Aide Daniel Bwala and TV anchor Rufai Oseni on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday.

The exchange began when Oseni questioned Bwala about his decision to serve in the same government he had previously criticized.

Bwala, the Special Adviser on Public Communications and Media to President Bola Tinubu, responded and when told by Oseni to answer the questions asked rather than deflecting, he told the TV anchor not to control his speech as if he is a secondary school student.

He said, “I’m not writing JAMB here; you cannot control me or talk to me like a secondary student. If you ask a question, pack and listen to the answer.” Bwala retorted.

Prior to his appointment into the current Federal Government, Bwala had accused Tinubu of rigging the election and questioned his moral legitimacy. He was a spokesman for the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

In a May 2023 interview with Arise Television, Bwala described Tinubu as a “president-select” rather than a “president-elect,” alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission had manipulated the presidential election results.

Bwala’s criticism of Tinubu’s administration can also be traced back to March 2023, when he claimed that the PDP had won the election with over one million votes. However, in Tuesday’s interview, Bwala explained that his views had changed after meeting with President Tinubu, who saw a need to appoint him to his current role.

“I criticised Tinubu’s election and administration in the past because I was in the opposition,” Bwala said. “The opposition’s work is to criticise the sitting government and hold them accountable. My views changed after I met the President, and he saw a need to appoint me.”