Atiku tells media to stop describing Daniel Bwala as his former aide

Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has dissociated himself from Daniel Bwala, his campaign spokesperson for the 2023 presidential election.

Atiku told the media to stop describing Bwala as his former aide because he's no longer his associate.

During the build-up to the election, Bwala dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the party's choice to fly Muslim-Muslim ticket for the election.

He subsequently joined Atiku in the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and was immediately drafted into the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation.

As a campaign spokesperson for the PDP presidential candidate, Bwala disparagingly tackled the APC for its choice of presidential and vice presidential candidates.

But months after Atiku lost the election to Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling APC, Bwala switched allegiance and began to hobnob with his principal's main rival.

In January, Bwala visited Tinubu twice and during his first visit, he said he owed no one any apology for visiting the president.

Two weeks later, he shared a photograph of himself and Tinubu in Paris, saying the president shared "his thoughts (with him) and demonstrated his passion to lead Nigeria out of the woods."

Defending his visit to the president, Bwala, who is widely acknowledged as Atiku's aide said his principal was aware of one of his visits to the president.

"I informed Atiku Abubakar I was going to see the President. After I had seen the president, I informed him (Atiku) that I had just seen the president and he replied me that, 'Thanks Daniel for notifying me," he said.

However, in a statement issued by his media office on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, Atiku said Bwala should no longer be described as his former aide.

He said his position as a campaign spokesperson ended after the election and that Bwala has moved on since then.

"Bwala offered his services and support to the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation as a spokesperson - and it was a position he held during the last presidential campaign."

"Subsequently, and after the election, the need for a campaign spokesperson has terminated, and Bwala has moved on with his career.

"This, therefore, serves as notice to the media and the interested public to desist from defining Bwala as an ex-aide of Atiku Abubakar," the statement reads in part.

The former vice president also urged the public to henceforth recognize, introduce, and define Bwala by his current vocation and alliance.