Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has criticized Senator Ali Ndume for making public claims based on unverified information circulating on social media instead of relying on official government communication channels.
Speaking during a media briefing, Bwala expressed disappointment in the senator’s conduct. “He is a ranking senator and I think someone who has been in national assembly for so long. You would expect a degree of maturity and, but also more than that, you expect a degree of integrity, right, in the way you communicate,” Bwala stated.
He emphasized the level of influence public figures like Ndume hold and the responsibility they bear in shaping public discourse. “You sway opinion and you lead people. There are people that will look up to you and think what you’re saying is correct.”
Bwala then condemned the act of building narratives on unverified reports. “How can someone be banking on information that is circulating in the social media and such information has not been made available in any of the platforms available of government?” he asked. He added, “It is most unfortunate of a man like him to be building on what is not from the official channels of government.”
He also referenced a previous incident involving misinformation about a supposed sacking of the INC chairman. “Like I said yesterday when we tried to debunk the assertion that the president has sacked the INC chairman, I said no, the president has his own way of communicating—we are official channels and not rumor mill.”
Bwala concluded by stressing that the list of appointments referred to by Ndume “has not emanated from government,” and made it clear, “I’m not going to speak to it either to promote anybody in the list or to demote anybody in the list.”
