Showunmi Blasts Mehdi Hasan Over ‘Hostile’ Al Jazeera Interview With Bwala
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Showunmi, has criticised Mehdi Hasan over what he described as a hostile and unprofessional interview with presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala.
Showunmi made the remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday while reacting to Bwala’s appearance on the programme Head to Head on Al Jazeera.
According to him, Hasan’s interviewing style crossed the line between rigorous journalism and personal confrontation.
“Hostility is not journalism. Mehdi Hasan take note. There is a clear difference between tough journalism and outright hostility. One serves the public interest. The other serves the ego of the interviewer,” Showunmi wrote.
He argued that the exchange between Hasan and Bwala resembled a “public ambush,” claiming that the presidential aide was frequently interrupted and that questions were framed in a prosecutorial manner rather than as an attempt to inform viewers about Nigeria’s governance challenges.
Showunmi maintained that professional interviewing requires discipline and balance, warning that journalism risks losing credibility when the goal shifts from seeking insight to humiliating guests.
The interview focused heavily on Bwala’s past criticisms of President Bola Tinubu before he defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress. During the programme, Hasan repeatedly confronted Bwala with earlier remarks in which he allegedly described Tinubu as corrupt, unfit to lead Nigeria, and linked him to drug-related allegations.
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When Bwala denied making some of the statements, Hasan presented archived video clips to support the claims, prompting heated exchanges that later circulated widely on social media and triggered mixed reactions among viewers.
Showunmi defended Bwala’s political shift, arguing that changing alliances is a common feature of democratic politics. According to him, political realignment should not automatically be interpreted as hypocrisy.
“Former opponents become partners when national circumstances demand cooperation. This is neither shocking nor dishonourable; it is one of the defining characteristics of democratic political life,” he said.
He also criticised the interview for failing to focus more deeply on pressing national issues such as economic reforms, insecurity, and governance challenges.
“A responsible interviewer would have used the opportunity to interrogate the administration’s policies on economic restructuring, insecurity and governance reforms. Instead, viewers were treated to selective outrage and repetitive interruption,” he added.
During the programme, Hasan also questioned Bwala about Nigeria’s security situation and governance record, citing reports by organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Critics of Bwala said he struggled to counter some of the statistics raised during the discussion, while supporters argued that the questioning was overly aggressive.
Reacting to the backlash that followed the interview, Bwala dismissed criticism from social media users, describing it as politically motivated and largely driven by opposition supporters.
The presidential aide insisted that the reactions would not distract him from his duties as Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, adding that he would continue to defend the administration’s policies on both local and international platforms.
Showunmi’s intervention has reignited debate in Nigeria about the limits of confrontational journalism and the expectations placed on government spokespersons during international media engagements.
According to him, holding public officials accountable should not come at the expense of professionalism and civility.
“Respectful engagement does not weaken journalism; it strengthens it. Firm questioning does not require contempt. Professionalism does not require aggression,” he said.