COMMENTARY
“I Even Know the Junction Where the Madman that Used to Advise Him Used to Stay, Very Close to Upper Iweka” — Bwala Takes Swipe at Peter Obi, Brands Ex-LP Presidential Candidate “Character-in-Chief,” Accuses Him of Political Theatrics and Fantasy Leadership
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has launched a fresh verbal attack on Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), mockingly describing him as a “character-in-chief” and accusing him of engaging in political theatrics rather than realistic leadership.
Bwala made the remarks during an interview on The Clarity Zone Podcast, anchored by media personality Chinedu Emmanuel, popularly known as Nedu.
The presidential aide was reacting to an earlier claim credited to Obi, in which the former Anambra State governor reportedly described him as a “character.”
Turning the description back on the Labour Party standard-bearer, Bwala dismissed Obi’s political style as dramatic and deceptive.
“In the movie, the actor is a character. He is actually the character-in-chief, because what he’s playing is what we call theatrics,” Bwala said.
According to him, Obi’s political messaging during the 2023 election campaign amounted to the promotion of an illusion that could never translate into reality.
“You are demonstrating a fictitious picture of a reality that will never exist. I think that is the hope he sold to his people.
“So, after the election when they saw reality dawn and he lost the election, they couldn’t manage the picture of the fantasy that was painted in their mind, and they ran berserk.”
Bwala further alleged that the aftermath of the election defeat had left Obi’s supporters disoriented and aggressive in public discourse, particularly across media platforms.
“They are all over the media now… they don’t have a particular platform where they stay. They migrate and abuse people. And that is because leadership is not easy.
“Leadership is a sacrifice. All these politicians you see, from President Bola Tinubu, and some other politicians who are not up to him, do a lot of sacrifice to build a base; a base that can resonate with them.”
The presidential aide also addressed Obi’s claim that he had never been to Anambra State, dismissing it as false and insisting that he was familiar with the state and the former governor’s background.
Bwala said he could even describe the route leading to Obi’s residence, stressing that the Labour Party leader hails from Agulu in Anambra State.
“And he also said I have never been to Anambra; I can tell you the road that leads to his house. Peter Obi is from Agulu,” he said.
He went further to outline several locations in Anambra, apparently to demonstrate his familiarity with the state.
“From Nnewi, you have Umudim, Nnewichi, Uruagu, and Otolo. I can take you to places in the east. I even know the junction where the madman that used to advise him used to stay, very close to Upper Iweka.
“How can he say I have never been to Anambra?”
Bwala also referenced a past statement made by Obi during the build-up to the 2023 elections, in which the former governor recounted how advice from a mentally unstable man helped him resolve a major security challenge while he was in office. He used the anecdote to further ridicule Obi and question his leadership narrative.
The exchange adds to the ongoing political rivalry and verbal sparring between supporters and allies of President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi, long after the conclusion of the fiercely contested 2023 presidential election.