In Your Honour Indeed, Mr. Bwala

In the ever-shifting sands of Nigerian politics, Daniel Bwala stands as a poignant emblem of transactional pragmatism. A lawyer turned political operative, Bwala’s journey from ardent defender of Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential race under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Special Adviser on Policy Communication for President Bola Tinubu in the All Progressives Congress (APC) encapsulates the fluidity, and some would say, the fickleness of allegiance in Nigeria’s democratic landscape. His recent appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head in early March 2026, where host Mehdi Hasan grilled him on past incendiary remarks against Tinubu, has reignited debates on double standards and the erosion of honour in public life. 

Mr Daniel’s denials and deflections, amid viral backlash, prompt a deeper inquiry: What renders such conduct (dis)honourable, and what legacy does it forge for Nigeria’s political class?

Bwala’s double standards are starkly illustrated in his evolving rhetoric. During the 2023 campaign, he accused Tinubu of electoral impropriety and even forming a militia to sway votes claims he vehemently denied in the Al Jazeera interview, insisting they were misconstrued or never directed at Tinubu personally. Yet, video evidence and public records contradict this, revealing a pattern where opposition fervour gives way to loyalist revisionism upon gaining favour.

Defending his pivot, Bwala argued that such shifts are “all politics,” akin to U.S. examples like Donald Trump’s cabinet inclusions of former critics. He later alleged the interview was a setup, with no forewarning about delving into his history, framing it as biased opposition-style questioning. While adaptability might be a survival tactic in Nigeria’s zero-sum politics, this selective memory undermines credibility, fostering perceptions of hypocrisy. Public reactions on platforms like X echo this sentiment, branding him a “chronic liar” and lamenting the global embarrassment.

At the heart of this is the question of honour. Etymologically rooted in the Latin honor, meaning esteem or dignity, to be honourable implies integrity, consistency, and a commitment to principles over expediency. In parliamentary traditions, “Honourable” is a titular prefix for elected officials, symbolizing public trust. Yet, in Nigeria, where politics often devolves into a marketplace of loyalties, this ideal seldom materializes. Politicians like Bwala justify defections as normative, but critics see them as betrayals of the electorate’s mandate. The Constitution’s anti-defection clauses, meant to curb such switches, are weakly enforced, allowing elected officials to cross-carpet without vacating seats unless in rare court interventions. This transactional style driven by personal gain, lack of party ideology, and internal crises hardly reflects honour, instead perpetuating a culture of “waka waka” politicians who prioritize power over public service.

Examples abound, underscoring that Bwala is no outlier. More recently, in 2025, Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa defected from PDP to APC, part of a wave including Governors Peter Mbah and Douye Diri, amid over 64,000 PDP members switching sides. Such moves, often rewarded with incentives, expose weak party structures and fuel fears of a one-party state, eroding multiparty democracy. 

What legacy, then, are Nigerian politicians building? Far from enduring monuments to progress, it is one of cynicism and disillusionment. Defections weaken opposition, stifle accountability, and breed voter apathy, as citizens witness leaders treating mandates as tradable commodities. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the unraveling of Igbo society under colonial pressures mirrors today’s political decay: institutions crumble, trust fractures, and self-interest supplants communal good. Things have indeed fallen apart in Nigeria’s polity, where honour is a hollow courtesy, and legacies are measured in personal fortunes rather than national advancement.

To reclaim honour, politicians must embrace ideological fidelity and ethical consistency. Bwala’s saga, while defended as pragmatic, serves as a mirror to a broader malaise. Until leaders prioritize the electorate over ego, Nigeria’s democracy risks remaining a shadow of its potential—a cautionary tale of honour lost and legacies squandered.

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