The Special Adviser on Communications and Media to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has made bold claims about the President’s physical condition while defending early endorsements for his 2027 re-election bid.
During a recent interview with DW Africa, Bwala addressed mounting concerns over Tinubu’s frequent medical trips abroad and the surge of endorsements from within the All Progressives Congress for his second term candidacy.
“In fact, the president of Nigeria physically is fitter than most presidents in the advanced countries,” Bwala declared when questioned about public scrutiny surrounding the President’s health and overseas medical treatments.
The presidential aide dismissed suggestions that the wave of endorsements for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election represented premature political maneuvering, instead characterizing them as part of the APC’s standard mid-term evaluation process.
Bwala explained that the endorsements follow established party protocol rather than calculated political strategy. “It’s a procedure or a process within our party that there will be a mid-term assessment. So it’s not about President Bola Tinubu. Whoever is president at the time, after every mid-term, we will assess and see whether the president has performed to a point where we would entrust the person to continue.”
According to the presidential spokesman, Tinubu successfully passed this internal assessment “with distinction,” leading to the confident endorsements from party members.
“We have measured that he has performed wonderfully well. And so we are absolutely confident ahead of 2027 that we have the support of our people,” Bwala stated.
The aide highlighted several key achievements of the current administration to justify the early endorsement wave. He particularly emphasized the introduction of local government autonomy as a crucial step in strengthening democratic governance across Nigeria.
“Deepening democracy is one, which is the introduction of local government autonomy. Autonomy that gives local government chairmen or administrators enormous resources,” Bwala noted, explaining that this development has enabled states to enhance security through vigilante recruitment and improved surveillance equipment.
Bwala also outlined significant progress in healthcare delivery under Tinubu’s leadership, citing the provision of medical dispensaries and free caesarean sections for mothers experiencing childbirth complications. He reported that nearly 10 million Nigerians have been registered in the national healthcare system since the administration began.
The presidential aide further defended the government’s agricultural policies, particularly highlighting a rice subsidy program designed to improve food accessibility for low-income Nigerians. He noted that subsidies on prescription drugs at the local level have made healthcare more accessible to ordinary citizens.
