Rufai Oseni Slams Daniel Bwala Over Al Jazeera Interview: ‘Cherry-Picked Facts, Mehdi Hasan Didn’t Probe Enough’

Arise Television host Rufai Oseni has criticised Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, accusing him of selectively presenting facts during his recent interview on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head with anchor Mehdi Hasan.

Speaking on his morning show on Monday, Oseni emphasised that public officials playing opposition roles must rely on verifiable, empirical facts. He argued that Bwala failed to account for numerous past statements he had made, highlighting inconsistencies in his defence during the interview.

“Bwala came back to fact-check Mehdi and said he was wrong. Maybe Mehdi didn’t do his job well because there were so many things to address,” Oseni said. “How will he explain statements like, ‘Even if you give Tinubu 30 years, nothing will work’? People doing opposition should stick to facts, empirical facts.”

Oseni accused Bwala of “cherry-picking” statements to suit his narrative, noting that similar behaviour had been observed during a previous appearance on Arise Television, where Bwala reportedly deflected questions on his integrity.

The criticism comes amid backlash against Bwala’s Al Jazeera interview, in which he repeatedly denied prior critical comments made against President Tinubu before his appointment to the presidential advisory role. Oseni suggested that such selective fact presentation undermines the credibility of public discourse.

“The last point I want to make: he is just cherry-picking, and cherry-picking is never based on empirical facts,” Oseni said, stressing the need for accountability and transparency in public communication.

The debate has reignited discussions about the role of former critics in government and the responsibility of journalists to rigorously verify claims in high-profile interviews.