The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has asserted that a significant portion of former Presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s supporters, known as ‘Obidients’, are not genuine human followers but are bot accounts.
News360 Info reports that Blawa made this claim in an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Thursday while responding to questions about the presidency’s frequent reactions to Peter Obi and his supporters.
According to Tinubu’s aide, Peter Obi’s supporters are very few on the street.
He said, “When we keep quiet, Peter Obi and his Obidients, from morning till the next morning, are talking about Asiwaju government… When we respond to them, you say we are reacting to them.
“Peter Obi has a followership that they call the Obidients, that are largely, they consist of people that are not human beings, we call bot account. If you are very familiar with social media and the manipulation of algorithm, you will say that.
“But the real Obidients that are human beings, when you see them on the street, they are not very many.”
Speaking on Peter Obi’s electoral performance in the 2023 presidential election, Bwala said the over 6.1 million votes which the former Governor of Anambra State secured were largely driven by religious rhetoric.
He stated, “At that time, he used religious rhetoric. The toxicity of what he introduced in 2023 will be a long time before it leaves us as a country.”
Bwala argued that the religious dimension was amplified by the All Progressives Congress (APC) fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket, making it very easy to whip up support at the time.
The presidential aide argued that many religious leaders who backed Peter Obi during the election no longer support him.
He said, “The same religious leaders that followed him at that time, right now, they don’t feel his energy anymore. Why? Because at that time, it was very easy to whoop up because on the other hand, there is a Muslim ticket.”
Bwala further questioned Peter Obi’s leadership and man-management skills, emphasising that former close associates from his time as Anambra State governor have since parted ways with him.
He added, “When Peter Obi governed as governor in Anambra till today, have you seen any of his former commissioners, aides, or administrative assistants that are still with him? He doesn’t have man-management skills.
“In 2019, he had Valentine Ozigbo, he has Kennedy Okonkwo, he has all other persons. The person left right now is Aisha, she will come after now.”
