A member of the House of Representatives, Solomon Bob, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, over his recent remarks on the political crisis in Rivers State.
Bob accused Bwala of misrepresenting facts and speaking beyond the limits of his official mandate, describing the presidential aide’s comments on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as misleading and ill-judged.
He portrayed Bwala as an attention-seeking operator punching above his weight and accused him of distorting facts with what he described as a malicious narrative.
Bob, who represents Abua/Odual and Ahoada East Federal Constituency of Rivers State, was reacting to comments made by Bwala during a television programme on Friday, where the presidential aide claimed that Wike had been “adequately compensated” and insinuated that he was frustrating governance in Rivers State.
Bwala had also noted that Wike was not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that Governor Siminalayi Fubara should be allowed the space to govern the state.
However, in a statement on Sunday, Bob described Bwala’s remarks as “cheeky, unwarranted and driven by premeditated bile.”
He said, “You could see that he deliberately pivoted from the question to talk about the Minister having been adequately compensated, whatever that means. He doesn’t understand the Minister’s contribution to this administration. Clearly, he operates on the fringes.
“And sadly, he leaves the impression that he sees public office as a gravy train ride because public office is about service delivery, not adequate compensation.”
The lawmaker also faulted Bwala’s attempt to downplay Wike’s performance as FCT minister, particularly by attributing it merely to the exit of the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
“Firstly, exiting the TSA was the Minister’s own ingenious idea. Secondly, the President’s acceptance of that proposal underscores his confidence in the Minister’s capacity to deliver.
“That confidence is anchored on Wike’s proven record as Rivers State governor, a record so strong that even former President Muhammadu Buhari honoured him, despite never being particularly enamoured of Wike.”
Bob further accused Bwala of poor judgment for implying that Wike was obstructing Governor Siminalayi Fubara from governing Rivers State.
According to the lawmaker, Bwala had also overstepped his bounds by projecting his personal sentiments as the position of the President.
He said, “The manner of his comment reflects classic implication framing from a confused individual who dabbles into matters beyond his competence and job description.
“He denigrates his office by passing off his biases as the President’s views. He was certainly not speaking for the President, who knows where responsibility lies in the Rivers situation. Bwala does not really speak for the President, that is not his remit. He is far down the pecking order of presidential spokesmen.”
Bob, who is also Chairman of the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, suggested that Bwala’s outburst may be linked to lingering resentment over the defeat of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.
“Bwala enthusiastically ran his mouth and spoke out of turn because Minister Wike got Atiku Abubakar on toast. Atiku was his boss until he jumped ship.
“Obviously, he is still overcome with a sense of what might have been, despite grovelling back to get a job in a government made possible by people like the Minister while he was engaged in typical self-serving rants elsewhere,” he added.
