The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said the reason he criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the past was because he was in the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party.

This was as he revealed that his perception of the President changed when they met, leading to his appointment.

“I criticised Tinubu’e election and administration in the past because I was in the opposition.

“The opposition’s work is to criticise the sitting government and hold them accountable. My views changed after I met the President, and he saw a need to appoint me,” he told Arise TV.

Bwala had accused Tinubu of rigging the election that made him President, adding that the Tinubu administration would face challenges with moral legitimacy 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 posted on X.

“Eminent scholars, human rights activists, and strong opinion molders who have traditionally been critical are suddenly, for cultural and tribal reasons, throwing their weight behind him in a clandestine way,” he added.

Doubling down on his stance, in May 2023, Bwala described Tinubu as a “president-select” rather than a “president-elect.”

According to him, the election that saw the emergence of Tinubu as President was manipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“We are in court to say it was a rigged process. As long as there is no final determination of the matter, we have every right under law, equity, and justice to express our opinion that he is a president-select and not a president-elect,” Bwala declared.