Jesutega Onokpasa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent political appointments, accusing him of betraying his loyal supporters. In a candid interview on Thursday’s Arise News morning show, Onokpasa singled out the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, calling it “ridiculous” and “meaningless.”
Onokpasa’s remarks come amid growing backlash over Bwala’s appointment. Bwala, a former aide to opposition leader Atiku Abubakar, has been a vocal critic of President Tinubu and his administration. His appointment has sparked outrage among some of Tinubu’s most dedicated supporters, who feel betrayed by the decision. Onokpasa expressed his frustration with the move, stating that the appointment of someone with a history of criticism against the president made no sense.
“I am a Tinubu supporter and not a sycophant; his apologists are calling his appointment of Bwala strategy, but I think it is stupidity,” Onokpasa said. He went on to accuse the president of making inexplicable choices that harm his own base, adding that these appointments did not reflect the values or loyalty of his supporters.
The chairman of the Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) specifically pointed to Bwala’s past comments, where he had referred to President Tinubu as a “drug dealer” and a “drug baron,” which Onokpasa found deeply troubling. “How do you call the president of the country a drug dealer?” Onokpasa asked. “Daniel Bwala is a lawyer, he has no evidence that our president is a drug dealer, but he called him a drug baron.”
Onokpasa expressed disbelief that someone who had publicly insulted President Tinubu in such a manner was rewarded with an official position. “We were the ones defending him then, but now, this person who called the president a drug dealer has been appointed,” he lamented. He also criticized Bayo Onanuga, a Tinubu supporter, for attempting to rationalize the appointment, further deepening the divide among the president’s supporters.
The APC chieftain further accused President Tinubu of taking his loyal supporters for granted. He emphasized that not all of Tinubu’s supporters were seeking appointments, but that many felt insulted by how the president seemed to disregard their sacrifices and loyalty. “Not all his supporters want an appointment, it’s just the insult that our president seems to take us for granted. He doesn’t feed us,” Onokpasa remarked.
He explained that his loyalty to the president went beyond political advantage, saying, “Some of us just love him, in fact, I even liked the president as a family member. That is why it really hurts. My president just acted like he can stab anyone in the back, humiliate us. I don’t trust him anymore.”
