Daniel Bwala, one of the spokesmen of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, has said he has no apologies to tender to anybody over his visit to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.
Bwala, who hailed Tinubu for some of his recent decisions including the suspension of Dr Betta Edu, the embattled Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation over a N585 million scandal, also said he was committed to supporting the President.
He made these statements on Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Bwala added that he would not hesitate to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in supporting Tinubu, if need arises.
“I told him today, I am committing to play my part to support your administration, and I have no apologies to anybody,” Bwala said.
When asked if he would dump PDP for APC, he said, “APC is a party. President Bola Tinubu is my motivation; if supporting him will take me to APC, so be it.”
Early this year, Bwala, had said opposition parties must form a strong coalition if they would successfully retire the APC in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on the second day of the year, he said that without a coalition of opposition parties, Tinubu would spend eight years in office.
“Without a coalition of political parties, Tinubu is going to spend the next eight years. That one is for sure. The truth of the matter is that there will be a coalition of political parties that will be very strong. This is a fact that I know.
“The coalition that is coming will swallow some of the elements that are creating the problems in the various political parties,” he said.
However, after a visit to the President, he hailed him saying, “Some of his (Tinubu’s) Ministers that were allegedly reported to have committed infractions, instead of protecting them, he asked that the law should have its course and suspended somebody without wasting time. That, to me, is impressive because it’s about the people.”
On slashing the number of entourage for the Presidency and MDAs announced on Tuesday, Bwala remarked, “There has been this outcry that the government is bloated. Yesterday, he introduced a policy that reduced the cost of governance and today, he told me it is just the beginning.”
Atiku’s aide said the President assured him that more cost-cutting measures are underway to reduce the cost of governance.
“What have we been talking about as citizens is that if you don’t have a personal grudge against someone…if it is a policy issue.
“What I’m saying apart from today that I’m talking here is that you all need to visit my Twitter page. In the last few days, I have been expressing my surprise and appreciation to the President for the decisions he is making.
“So, this is not about political party. And you need to know that, like I said, I was with him before I left. And I was doggedly committed to him.
“I told him today that I am committing to play my part to support your administration, and I have no apologies to anybody,” he explained.
