Borno ADC Slams Ex-Commissioner Over Alleged Comments On Facebook

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Borno state has slammed Hon. Inuwa Bwala, a former Commissioner of Home Affairs, Information and Culture for the alleged letter he posted on his Facebook page attempting to whitewash the Borno State Government under the leadership of Governor Babagana Zulum ‘as tolerant of opposition’.

A press statement signed and issued in Maiduguri by the State Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Hon. Baba Ahmed Mustapha on Thursday said it is disheartening and a complete distortion of reality on ground for Hon. Bwala to claim that Professor Zulum allows opposition parties to thrive in Borno state.

Reacting, Hon Bwala in his statement said, the ADC acclaimed writer does not have a good tutelage in public communication, stressing that, Mustapha needs better tutorials in the art.

Bwala said in the first place, what he wrote was neither a letter nor a rejoinder, rather, it was an opinionated analysis, from a partisan viewpoint, because he is a stakeholder, and as a member of the APC.

He added that he cannot remember having mentioned the ADC anywhere, saying that for party’s spokesman to assume the position of the defender of all opposition parties, made it look desperate in wanting to come out of obscurity as the spokesman of a party, in a state.

However, the ADC publicity Secretary’s statement reads: “We have read the lengthy Facebook letter by Hon. Inuwa Bwala, former Commissioner for Information, attempting to whitewash the Borno State Government as tolerant of opposition.

“Ordinarily, we would not join issues with a former Commissioner looking for relevance and patronage, but when falsehood is dressed as analysis, the record must be set straight for Borno people and for history.

“Hon. Bwala claims Professor Zulum allows opposition parties to thrive. This is a complete distortion of reality on ground in Borno.

“Let us ask Bwala and his paymasters some simple questions; Is Demolition of Opposition Property Tolerance?

“Borno people still remember the daylight demolition of the 3-storey plaza belonging to Hon. Atom Magira, a known opposition voice in Maiduguri. Till today, no clear court order or compensation has been shown to the public. If the government tolerates opposition, why is opposition investment being turned to rubble? Bwala forgot to mention this.

“Is threat by a sitting Commissioner tolerance?; Just last month, the Commissioner for Sports, Youths and Poverty alleviation, Hon. Saina Buba was on record in a viral video openly threatening youths who identified with opposition parties, telling them they will be dealt with. Has that Commissioner been cautioned or queried? Silence means endorsement. Bwala conveniently forgot this.

“Is the detention of ‘Tinubu Must Go” protesters’ tolerance? Hon. Bwala tried to distance Governor Zulum from the arrest and detention of the five youths who carried placards saying ‘Tinubu Must Go’ in Maiduguri. Who ordered the Police to arrest them?

” Who ordered their prolonged detention without trial? Were they arrested in Bama or in Maiduguri under this government? You cannot distance your principal from the actions of security agencies operating under his watch as Chief Security Officer of the state.

“Where is the freedom for ADC to campaign? If opposition is thriving, why are we being denied venue approvals in Maiduguri Metropolitan? Why are our billboards pulled down by Borno State Environmental Protection  Agency (BOSEPA)? Why are our members being profiled?

“We in ADC are not desperate. Desperation is when a government that has received over a trillion naira in seven years is afraid of a four-month-old opposition coalition.

“We are not mischievous. Mischief is when you praise Zulum for supporting Tinubu/Shettima for 2027 in the morning, but you and your government are the ones suffocating the same Tinubu’s democracy in Borno in the evening.

“Professor Zulum’s passion for Tinubu/Shettima would be more believable if he showed passion for Tinubu’s core ideology which is Democracy , free speech and multi- party system.

“Therefore, our advice for Bwala is to stop defending what is indefensible on Facebook. If he want to return to Government House, there are better ways than insulting the intelligence of Borno people.

“Borno people are not fools. They see the demolitions, they hear the threats, and they know who was detained.

“The ADC will not be distracted. We will continue to demand for open political space in Borno.

“We call on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Borno Chapter, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to speak up before Borno becomes a one-party state”, Mustapha said.