Segun Showunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticised Mehdi Hasan of Al Jazeera for subjecting Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on media and policy communication, to what he described as “hostility” and public ridicule during a recent Head to Head interview.
Bwala appeared on the programme on Thursday, where he
fielded questions on the Nigerian government’s policies and past remarks he had
made about the president.
During the exchange, Hasan confronted Bwala with past
quotes, video clips, and statements from his time in the opposition, when he
was aligned with the presidential campaign of former Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar.
Hasan cited several other past comments critical of the
president, prompting further denials from Bwala.
The host also questioned Tinubu’s anti-corruption
credentials, citing the appointment of Abubakar Bagudu, minister of budget and
economic planning, whom he said had previously been indicted by the US
Department of Justice (DOJ) for corruption.
The interview sparked strong reactions online, with clips
circulating widely on social media on Saturday.
Reacting to the debate in a statement, Bwala defended his
performance, saying his past remarks about President Tinubu were “all politics”
and should be understood in that context.
He also faulted Hasan’s style of questioning, alleging that
some of the quotes attributed to organisations and groups during the exchange
were inaccurate.
‘HOSTILITY IS NOT JOURNALISM’
In a statement on Sunday, Showunmi defended the presidential
aide, condemning what he described as Hasan’s “hostile” approach.
“There is a clear difference between tough journalism and
outright hostility. One serves the public interest. The other serves the ego of
the interviewer. Unfortunately, the recent exchange between @mehdirhasan and
presidential spokesperson @BwalaDaniel fell squarely into the latter category,”
Showunmi said.
He described the interview as “not a serious interview,” but
rather “an attempted public ambush,” carried out with an “aggressively
confrontational” tone.
“Questions were framed less as inquiries into governance and
more as prosecutorial traps. Responses were repeatedly interrupted before they
could develop. Clarifications were brushed aside.
“The atmosphere was unmistakable: this was not a
conversation designed to inform viewers but a spectacle designed to embarrass
the guest,” the PDP chieftain said.
According to Showunmi, the craft of interviewing demands
discipline and the ability to ask difficult questions while still allowing the
guest to articulate answers.
“It requires intellectual confidence strong enough to permit
disagreement without descending into open hostility. Above all, it requires a
commitment to substance over theatrics. That commitment was glaringly absent,”
he added.
The PDP chieftain argued that, given Nigeria’s current
“serious national challenges, economic threats, governance reforms” and complex
stability efforts, Hasan should have focused on interrogating the
administration’s policies, strategies, and plans for citizens.
“Instead, viewers were treated to an exercise in selective
outrage and repetitive interruption. But the deeper problem in the interview
was tone,” Showunmi said.
‘RIDICULING A GUEST CROSSES PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARY’
He added that a journalist who ridicules or attempts to
humiliate a guest crosses an important professional boundary.
“The role of the interviewer is to hold power accountable,
not to behave like a courtroom prosecutor seeking a viral ‘gotcha’ moment,” he
said.
“When the pursuit of humiliation replaces the pursuit of
insight, journalism loses its credibility. Audiences deserve better than that.
They deserve interviews that illuminate policy, probe governance, and help
citizens understand how leaders intend to confront the pressing challenges of
the day. What they do not need is a theatrical performance in which hostility
is mistaken for intellectual rigor.”
Showunmi added that respectful engagement strengthens
journalism rather than weakens it, noting that firm questioning and
professionalism do not require contempt or aggression.
“If global media wishes to retain its claim to moral
authority as a watchdog of democracy, it must remember a basic principle: the
goal of journalism is to inform the public, not to stage spectacles at the
expense of civility and substance,” he said, adding that the Al Jazeera
interview failed to demonstrate fearless journalism.
The PDP chieftain also cautioned the public against viewing
political realignment as illegitimate, stressing that democratic politics
naturally involves shifting alliances.
“Former opponents become partners when national
circumstances demand cooperation. It is neither shocking nor dishonorable, but
the defining characteristic of democratic political life,” Showunmi said.
“History provides countless examples where leaders worldwide
have entered alliances with former adversaries to meet governance needs. To
pretend otherwise is either intellectual dishonesty or a deliberate attempt to
create sensationalism where none exists.”
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