A spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, has stated that he is loyal to his party and its 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
OsunDaily News reports that the lawyer stated this while reacting to a lot of reactions that followed his congratulatory message to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his inauguration as the new President.
Speaking on ARISE News on Wednesday, Bwala said he is not surprised that the tweet generated such reactions because the 2023 general elections divided Nigerians as a result of the ethnic backgrounds of the three major candidates.
Bwala stated that politics in Nigeria has been polarized and people always have an opinion about something, stressing that there was nothing about the tweet that depicts disloyalty.
The PDP stalwart, however, expressed disappointment that some key individuals would question his loyalty to Atiku over that particular message to Tinubu and Shettima.
He said, “First of all, I’m not surprised that it will generate mixed reactions because we are living in a free world and people have every right to express themselves. The politics in Nigeria in 2023 was polarized. We had three major candidates coming from three major ethnic backgrounds and so either way, somebody will have something to say for or against you.
“I remember when I was in the APC, I was attacked by the members of PDP and when I moved to PDP, APC people attacked me. Labour party members attacked me because they thought I would come to their party and I went to PDP, so there will always be that.
“It is strange for me that some key people from both sides of the divide whom I thought with the greatest respect, I thought should be above board could descend to the point where they tried to question my loyalty. My loyalty to Atiku Abubakar is hundred per cent and everybody knows it on all counts.”
Bwala emphasized that the congratulatory message was not hinged on winning the elections as they are still in court to prove that the process was rigged and the election stolen.
The lawyer maintained that his relationship with President Tinubu and some other members of the APC is cordial and will remain so.
He said: “The case we have in court against APC and Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a case that I believe will turn out in our favour. I still believe in the tribunal; we will prove our case. One thing is clear, there will be 6 months minimum and 8 months maximum when this case will finally be determined and within this period, somebody by our law has occupied the seat as the president of the federal republic of Nigeria.
“As patriots, we owe the nation the duty to preserve the constitution and respect constituted authority. However, our respect for the constituted authority does not in any way negatively our opinion about our partisanship.
“For the record, my congratulating Bola Tinubu and Shettima is not congratulations hinged on winning the election because we maintain the position and we are in court to prove that this election was stolen and it was a conspiracy between the government then, the institutions of the state and APC as a party.”
