Rivers lawmaker knocks Bwala over comments on Wike

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

A member of the House of Representatives, representing Abua/Odual and Ahoada East Federal Constituency of Rivers State, Solomon Bob, has lambasted, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu over his comments on the Rivers State political crisis.

Bob, in a statement, on Sunday, described Bwala, as “an attention-seeking operator, punching above his weight.”

The presidential, while featuring in television program, last week, reportedly said that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Nyesom Wike, has been “adequately compensated” by the All Progressives Congress ( APC) led Federal Government. He stated that the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, should be allowed to do his work.

However, Bob accused Bwala of allegedly infusing his biases and sentiments into his public comments and passing them off as President Tinubu’s.

The lawmaker said “you could see that he deliberately pivoted from the question to talk about the Minister having been adequately compensated, whatever that means. He doesn’t understand the Minister’s contribution to this administration.

“Clearly, he operates on the fringes. And sadly, he leaves the impression that he sees public office as a gravy train ride. Because public office is about service delivery, not adequate compensation.

“Next, he cheekily downplayed the Minister’s generally acknowledged superlative performance in the FCT by putting it down merely to exiting the TSA. Firstly, exiting the TSA itself was the Minister’s ingenious idea. Secondly, the President’s acceptance underlines his confidence in the Minister’s ability to deliver. That confidence is rooted in his strong record as Rivers governor, for which even President Buhari honoured him – and Buhari was never enamoured of Wike.

“Worse still, Mr. Bwala betrayed his absolute lack of judgment by implying that the Minister is impeding Governor Fubara from governing. The manner of his comment is classic implication framing from a confused individual who dabbles into everything and all things, including those beyond his competence and job description.”

The lawmaker, who is also the chairman, House Capital Market and Institutions, is still perhaps still troubled by Mr. Bwala is troubled by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s defeat at the 2023 elections.

“Atiku was his boss until he jumped ship. Obviously, he is still overcome with a sense of what might have been, despite grovelling back to get a job in a government made possible by people like the Minister while he was engaged in typical self-serving rants elsewhere,” he stated.