ISMAEEL UTHMAN writes about the shifting alliances of vocal politicians who once derided President Tinubu with scornful abuse, only to later sing his praises within a short period
Nigeria is home to numerous politicians and articulate social analysts who have been known to oppose governments, political parties, or individuals at various times. However, within this gallery of critics, consistent and politically disciplined individuals are rare. Many prominent self-acclaimed activists and public defenders have ended up serving the very people they previously criticised.
Daniel Bwala
This sentiment was palpable when an outspoken critic of President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, was appointed Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication. Bwala, a former spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 Presidential Campaign, was a vocal critic of Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress before and after the presidential election. A former member of the APC, Bwala claimed he turned down an appointment offer from Tinubu before joining the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the APC had underperformed.
“Eight years is enough for any administration, even if you are starting from scratch, to achieve its objectives. Unfortunately, after eight years, the question Nigerians must ask themselves is, ‘Has the APC taken us forward or backward?’” Bwala stated during an interview with Channels TV on August 5, 2022.
On October 5, 2022, Bwala tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), “Our message to Nigeria is simple: if you want another four years of super inflation, poverty, insecurity, and misery, vote APC and emi lo kan.” On November 25, 2022, he added, “The human brain is unique and miraculous. It works and functions optimally 24 hours a day and 365 days a year until you join the APC. Then it stops working.”
Criticising Tinubu’s performance during an appearance at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Bwala posted on X on December 5, 2022: “Chatham House show of shame. You want to be the president but avoid answering questions, instead redirecting the answers to El-Rufai, Alake, and co. Nigerians want to be governed by a person, not a robot who cannot exercise independent thought in answering questions.”
Two days after the February 2023 presidential election, Bwala appeared on Arise TV, calling for the cancellation of the exercise and citing gross malpractice and result manipulation. In April 2023, he accused Tinubu of rigging the election, predicting that the President would face moral legitimacy challenges upon assuming office.
“Right now, although the presumption of law is in favour of Tinubu until the final determination of the election tribunal and appeals, he will struggle with moral legitimacy (because he rigged the election) for 240 days of his presidency,” Bwala wrote on X. In May 2023, he described Tinubu as a “president-select” rather than a “president-elect.”
But Bwala’s most controversial statement came in December 2023 when on Channels TV he thundered: “Nothing will work under President Tinubu, even if he is given 30 years.”
However, there was a noticeable shift in Bwala’s political allegiance in January 2024 when he suspended his criticism of the President after a visit to the State House in Abuja. On January 15, Bwala expressed willingness to accept an offer from the President, pledging to support his agenda. He also met with Tinubu in Paris that same month and subsequently praised his “passion to lead Nigeria out of the woods.”
It was therefore no wonder when he was appointed special adviser to the President, which attracted criticism from netizens, who described him as an inconsistent politician.
DOYIN OKUPE
Until recently, Doyin Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, was another renowned critic of President Tinubu.
The septuagenarian, nicknamed the “attack dog” of Nigerian politics—a title he later upgraded to “attack lion”—was a vocal personality in the PDP before joining the Labour Party as the Director-General of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Organisation in 2022.
Okupe frequently clashed with Tinubu during his time as Jonathan’s spokesperson. On June 13, 2013, Okupe advised Tinubu to adopt higher standards of integrity as a former governor and political leader. He also described Tinubu as “a man living in the past.”
After leaving the PDP in 2021, Okupe criticised both the PDP and APC, describing them as “birds of a feather.” However, in March 2021, Okupe declared Tinubu as the most qualified to become Nigeria’s president.
In a series of tweets, he said, “Tinubu is the most sagacious and competent to vie for the presidential seat come 2023. Asiwaju is one of the most politically sagacious politicians of this era. His acumen and administrative competence are commendable. In summary, Asiwaju will be a good president.”
Okupe later supported Peter Obi for the presidency, describing him as “the candidate to beat.”
After Obi’s defeat, however, Okupe made a U-turn, declaring his support for Tinubu and retracting his earlier statements. He attributed Obi’s loss to the Labour Party’s poor structure and inadequate national reach, saying: “We ran a fantastic campaign, but the party lacked what it took to win a national election.” Okupe has taken delight in defending Tinubu on every issue raised against the president.
RENO OMOKRI
Reno Omokri is a prolific writer whose presence on social media, especially X, commands attention. He served as Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media from August 17, 2011, to May 29, 2015.
Omokri was a sworn enemy of Tinubu on social media, ceaselessly attacking the APC presidential candidate while supporting the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar. On June 22, 2022, Omokri portrayed Tinubu as a man with a black record. “What is wrong with the APC? How can they ask us to vote for a man with a heroin forfeiture case? This is not a charge, or an accusation, or a rumour. It is an actual judicial forfeiture of drug-linked funds. How can a man linked with the drug trade be our President? A man who has a drug-linked case in the US will be vulnerable to blackmail if elected as our President. He will be vulnerable to both governments and organised crime. And can he even pass a drug test? These are serious issues that Tinubu must respond to!”
Omokri continued his barrage on June 24, 2022, saying, “The drug cartel behaviour that led Tinubu into trouble in Chicago, leading to his court case with the US Government, is still in him. He has cornered the wealth of Lagos for his bullion van style of politics, leaving little for the development of the metropolis!”
He didn’t stop there. On June 25, 2022, Omokri queried Tinubu’s qualifications. “Emilokan, where are your certificates? The only reason Tinubu is now claiming that he did not attend any primary or secondary school is because if he comes clean about his early education, it will expose other lies he has told Nigerians about his true age and name. Tinubu, what is your real name and age?”
The detractions continued until after the 2023 presidential election, when Omokri started singing Tinubu’s praises. His sudden U-turn was met with outrage from netizens, forcing him to make a video on October 16, 2023. In the video, Omokri explained that he stopped criticising Tinubu, especially on his certificate, because he confirmed that the president actually attended Chicago University. Ever since, Omokri has been a strong supporter of Tinubu on social media.
On January 26, 2024, Omokri described Tinubu as the master of the game (politics). “A man with the ability to withstand public opprobrium to do what he thinks is right for the nation. I pray for your success between now and May 29, 2027. May God bless you, sir,” he tweeted.
FEMI FANI-KAYODE
Known for his eloquence, former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Femi Fani-Kayode, also falls into the category of vocal politicians who later supported and defended what they had earlier condemned. As a member of the PDP, Fani-Kayode was a known critic of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC.
On March 20, 2019, Fani-Kayode described Buhari’s administration as that of Pharaoh, who subjected his people to suffering, accusing him of not doing enough to solve the country’s problems. He expressed his disdain for the APC, declaring that he would rather die than join the party.
“I am committed to opposing the APC and those that are in their ranks for the rest of my natural life, and I will NEVER join them no matter what! They are nothing but darkness whilst I stand for the light of God and truth: there can be NO fellowship between light and darkness,” he tweeted on December 15, 2019.
Fani-Kayode did not limit his verbal assaults to the APC. He also attacked the leader of the party, Tinubu. He described Tinubu as a man with “bad health and always on drugs” on his Facebook page on March 4, 2015.
“It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather Bola Tinubu that slurs when he speaks. It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but rather Bola Tinubu that has to take 20 pills before he can go out. It is not Femi Fani-Kayode but Bola Tinubu that his hands shake when he tries to lift his fork and knife and eat,” he posted.
He also described Tinubu as the biggest traitor ever known in Nigeria. In a statement on March 18, 2015, Fani-Kayode said, “He (Tinubu) has betrayed every single person that he has worked with and he has thrown them to the dogs at the last minute for a price. During the days of NADECO, he betrayed the cause by colluding with the government of the day secretly while pretending to be a NADECO leader.
“The truth is that this man has not only sold his soul to the devil but he has also sold his followers for a pittance and he is leading them into perdition. He wants to buy and sell Nigeria too, and it is time for somebody to tell him that Nigeria is not for sale. This is what Chief Fani-Kayode and others are in the process of doing.”
The politician turned into comic material for content creators when, in a sudden twist, he joined the APC in September 2021. He said “the Spirit of God” led him to join the party. When asked about the insults he hurled at Buhari and the APC, Fani-Kayode, who appeared on Channels TV on September 16, 2021, said, “I spoke against Buhari from the outside, now I know him from the inside. I am not saying he is an angel or a demon. The APC I was talking about at that time is not the same today. Let’s focus on unity, peace, and togetherness. There is a time to condemn and criticise people. There is also a time to come together, work together to achieve unity.”
In 2023, Fani-Kayode was made Director of the New Media sub-committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. Defending himself over the series of attacks on Tinubu, the former minister declared that he was with ‘pigs’ when he was attacking Tinubu.
In a tweet on his X on February 2, he said, “Circulating essays I wrote years ago against @officialABAT changes nothing. I was in People’s Pigs Party then but saw the light and left the swine. Been in APC since & have fought for Asiwaju to win with every fibre of my being. Those that are unhappy with that can drop dead.”
He campaigned for Tinubu and has since been defending him. Commenting on political inconsistency, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, said politicians and individuals who change allegiances were not disciplined.
“I think this has always been their modus operandi. These are not people who are principled in their dealings, ever!” he stated.
Also commenting, the Convener of CountryFirst Movement, Prof. Chris Nwaokobia, attributed the inconsistency to a lack of values, stating that some individuals were willing to live for anything that gives them money and to die for nothing.
“To them, a good name means nothing. Fighting, albeit pretentiously, for rights and good governance is a means to an end; ditto criticising the government, getting noticed, abandoning that position, and getting settled. All that matters to them is more money in their pockets,” he added.
