Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has revealed that he underwent throat surgery shortly after his widely discussed interview with Mehdi Hasan of Al Jazeera.

Bwala made the disclosure during an appearance on News Central, where he also addressed reactions trailing the interview and criticism from social media users.

“Eight days after the interview with Mehdi Hasan, I underwent surgery on my throat. I don’t know whether it is the ‘Obidient’ people that threw that African thing, but in any case, I’m back and strong,” he said.

The presidential aide criticised supporters of Peter Obi, popularly known as “Obidients,” accusing them of prioritising political loyalty over national interest.

“I know the environment I come from; it’s an environment where there exists a group on social media called the ‘Obidient,’ who do not care about national interest or the security of Nigeria and will do everything possible to achieve the aim of their preferred candidate,” he said.

Bwala also defended his performance during the Al Jazeera interview, describing Hasan’s approach as confrontational and reflective of opposition-style journalism.

“What Mehdi Hasan did was what we call opposition-style journalism, where you play the role of the opposition. He sought to elicit information from me to discredit the government, but he could not,” he stated.

According to him, a significant portion of the interview focused on comments he made about President Tinubu while he was in the opposition, which he acknowledged but attempted to move past.

“In the first 15 minutes, he asked questions about things I said regarding President Tinubu when I was in the opposition. I admitted I had said even more than what he mentioned, but I requested that we move on to the purpose of the interview,” Bwala said.

The interview generated widespread controversy, especially online.