‘Public ambush’ — Showunmi berates Mehdi Hasan over interview with Daniel Bwala

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 policycommunication, to what he described as “hostility” and public ridicule during arecent Head to Head interview. Bwala appeared on the programme on Thursday, where hefielded questions on the Nigerian government’s policies and past remarks he hadmade about the president. During the exchange, Hasan confronted Bwala with pastquotes, video clips, and statements from his time in the opposition, when hewas aligned with the presidential campaign of former Vice-President AtikuAbubakar. Hasan cited several other past comments critical of thepresident, prompting further denials from Bwala. The host also questioned Tinubu’s anti-corruptioncredentials, citing the appointment of Abubakar Bagudu, minister of budget andeconomic planning, whom he said had previously been indicted by the USDepartment of Justice (DOJ) for corruption. The interview sparked strong reactions online, with clipscirculating widely on social media on Saturday. Reacting to the debate in a statement, Bwala defended hisperformance, 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 thatsome of the quotes attributed to organisations and groups during the exchangewere inaccurate. ‘HOSTILITY IS NOT JOURNALISM’In a statement on Sunday, Showunmi defended the presidentialaide, condemning what he described as Hasan’s “hostile” approach. “There is a clear difference between tough journalism andoutright hostility. One serves the public interest. The other serves the ego ofthe interviewer. Unfortunately, the recent exchange between @mehdirhasan andpresidential spokesperson @BwalaDaniel fell squarely into the latter category,”Showunmi said. He described the interview as “not a serious interview,” butrather “an attempted public ambush,” carried out with an “aggressivelyconfrontational” tone. “Questions were framed less as inquiries into governance andmore as prosecutorial traps. Responses were repeatedly interrupted before theycould develop. Clarifications were brushed aside. “The atmosphere was unmistakable: this was not aconversation designed to inform viewers but a spectacle designed to embarrassthe guest,” the PDP chieftain said. According to Showunmi, the craft of interviewing demandsdiscipline and the ability to ask difficult questions while still allowing theguest to articulate answers. “It requires intellectual confidence strong enough to permitdisagreement without descending into open hostility. Above all, it requires acommitment 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 complexstability efforts, Hasan should have focused on interrogating theadministration’s policies, strategies, and plans for citizens. “Instead, viewers were treated to an exercise in selectiveoutrage and repetitive interruption. But the deeper problem in the interviewwas tone,” Showunmi said. ‘RIDICULING A GUEST CROSSES PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARY’He added that a journalist who ridicules or attempts tohumiliate 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,” hesaid. “When the pursuit of humiliation replaces the pursuit ofinsight, journalism loses its credibility. Audiences deserve better than that.They deserve interviews that illuminate policy, probe governance, and helpcitizens understand how leaders intend to confront the pressing challenges ofthe day. What they do not need is a theatrical performance in which hostilityis mistaken for intellectual rigor.” Showunmi added that respectful engagement strengthensjournalism rather than weakens it, noting that firm questioning andprofessionalism do not require contempt or aggression. “If global media wishes to retain its claim to moralauthority as a watchdog of democracy, it must remember a basic principle: thegoal of journalism is to inform the public, not to stage spectacles at theexpense of civility and substance,” he said, adding that the Al Jazeerainterview failed to demonstrate fearless journalism. The PDP chieftain also cautioned the public against viewingpolitical realignment as illegitimate, stressing that democratic politicsnaturally involves shifting alliances. “Former opponents become partners when nationalcircumstances demand cooperation. It is neither shocking nor dishonorable, butthe defining characteristic of democratic political life,” Showunmi said. “History provides countless examples where leaders worldwidehave entered alliances with former adversaries to meet governance needs. Topretend otherwise is either intellectual dishonesty

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