The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has revealed that more than 70 percent of people working with the President have, at some point, worked against him in the past.
Bwala made this comment while responding to concerns that some individuals on the ambassadorial list were undeserving because they had previously criticised or worked against Tinubu.
Recall that President Tinubu had submitted the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, days after sending an initial batch of three names.
The list includes prominent figures such as former Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, among others.
In a statement issued last Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said all nominees would know their specific diplomatic postings only after Senate confirmation.
He noted that the list also includes four women among the career ambassadors and six women among the non-career ambassadors.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, Bwala said the posture from the Presidency was to remain silent until the National Assembly completed the confirmation process.
He explained that showing support before then could be seen as an attempt to influence lawmakers, since confirming the nominees would lead to their swearing-in as ambassadors.
“If it is because of the political decision of the President, those who understand politics know that the political environment is toxic. It is up to individuals who occupy political positions to exercise discretion and decide that ‘this one, I will appoint even though he worked against me in the past,’ or ‘I will not work with those who worked against me in the past.’
“But looking at the history and trajectory of Tinubu, I can say that more than 70 percent of the people with him have worked against him in the past at some point,” he said.
According to him, when he first met the President on 10 January last year, he entered the room trying to apologise because the President had been trying to reach him. He said he had been avoiding the calls as he could not directly refuse an elder, even though his mind was already made up.
However, President Tinubu told him that he did not need to go to such lengths because, had he listened earlier, he would have realised that what he feared had nothing to do with the President, referring to the Muslim–Muslim ticket.
He further stated that the President also spoke about people who had worked against him in the past and made it clear that his mother had influenced the way he handled such situations.
He recalled a conversation in which Tinubu told him that his mother taught him to embrace even those who once stood against him.
According to him, the President said, “As the head of the market women, she taught me that if you are going to be angry with people just because they offended you, you will wake up one morning and find that there are no people left for you to lead.”
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