Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, has taken aim at the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, stating that Obi is not a true ‘labor’ leader and that, despite his wealth, he has “no record” of sponsoring public projects or establishing foundations.
Speaking on The Clarity Zone Podcast on Wednesday, Bwala said that the former Anambra state governor’s humanitarian persona was exaggerated and out of proportion to his financial situation.
“Peter Obi is a billionaire, a multi-billionaire. There is no record that Peter has floated a foundation. Or a school. Anything that has to do with public interest and is funded so they can meet the needs of the masses. Not a single one,” he said.
He also denied claims of significant donations attributed to Obi, stating, “He has never given beyond N50m, and even that one, I can tell you the circumstances behind it. He never gave N100m to anybody.”
Bwala also criticized the boreholes Obi reportedly supported in parts of the North after the elections, describing them as primitive.
“Do you know the type of borehole people gave them money to produce? Caveman days borehole—where somebody will climb and be bouncing like this before water will come out. This is the type of development in his mind. But Nigerians don’t know,” he alleged.
Beyond generosity, Bwala questioned Obi’s political affiliation with the Labour Party, alleging that the former Anambra governor had no history of backing workers’ struggles or grassroots activity.
“Peter Obi is a capitalist by nature. He believes in a free market economy. He’s a businessman. There is nothing resembling socialism around Peter Obi. But Peter Obi ran on the platform of the Labour Party, which is principally a socialist party. Tell me whether you have ever seen Peter Obi in any workers’ strike, protest, or student unionism. Even during EndSARS, was he there? Yet, it is the same demographic he uses in campaigning,” Bwala said.
He described the Labour Party chieftain’s 2023 campaign as populist, likening it to the strategy of former US President Donald Trump. According to him, he simply exploited youth rage to rally support.
“In the last election, Obi just saw that the youth were not happy, and he rode on that anger. They even said, ‘We no dey give shishi,’ because once you ride on their anger, they sponsor themselves to fight your cause,” Bwala added.
Bwala also accused the former governor of Anambra state of using church platforms during the campaign but abandoning them after the elections.
“He went to all the churches and met all the Pentecostal bishops. He was everywhere—Holy Ghost night, Holy Ghost morning, prophetic prayers. But after the election, I didn’t see him again. Like my church, we had Shiloh. I told one of my pastors that Peter Obi no dey go Shiloh again,” he said.
Labour Party chieftain, who joined the Party in 2022 after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, ran an “Obidient” campaign that gained enormous youth and church support.
During the polls, the party, which is technically a social democratic platform, presented itself as a pro-worker alternative.
Despite Bwala’s claims that the Labour Party chieftain has not sponsored public projects, documents show that the former governor has made recent donations to health and education organizations.
Chronicle NG reported that Obi made several philanthropic commitments. He donated ₦70m to health and educational institutions in Anambra State and also gave ₦20m to Faith Foundation Mission Hospital, Nsukka, Enugu State, to support its College of Nursing Sciences, amongst others.
