A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Segun Showunmi, has criticized Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hassan for what he described as a hostile and unprofessional interview with Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication.
In a post on X on Sunday, Showunmi said Hassan’s approach “crossed the line from tough journalism into personal attacks,” serving the interviewer’s ego rather than the public interest.
“Hostility is not journalism. Mehdi Hassan take note. There is a clear difference between tough journalism and outright hostility. The recent exchange fell squarely into the latter category,” he wrote.
The interview, aired on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head, saw Bwala repeatedly interrupted, with questions framed as prosecutorial traps and clarifications often brushed aside. Showunmi described it as a “public ambush,” noting that the approach undermined journalistic credibility.
Showunmi also defended Bwala’s past criticisms of President Tinubu before his defection from PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing political realignment as a normal feature of democratic politics.
Highlighting broader concerns, Showunmi said the interview failed to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges, including economic restructuring, insecurity, and governance reforms, instead focusing on selective outrage and past statements made by Bwala.
During the interview, Hassan confronted Bwala with video evidence of past remarks in which he had described Tinubu as a “drug baron” and “corrupt,” triggering ridicule online. Bwala dismissed the criticism as politically motivated and temporary.
Showunmi’s intervention has reignited debate over confrontational journalism, emphasizing that “firm questioning does not require contempt” and that professionalism should not be sacrificed in the pursuit of accountability.
