Bwala Says Obi’s 2023 Vote Boosted by ‘Religious Rhetoric,’ Alleges Bot Influence
ABUJA, Nigeria— Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has criticized the foundations of Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, saying its performance was largely driven by religious appeals and online bot activity.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Bwala said the over 6.1 million votes secured by the Labour Party candidate were “largely driven by religious rhetoric” rather than policy proposals. He argued that Obi leveraged faith-based appeals to consolidate his voting bloc.
Bwala also questioned the authenticity of the “Obidient” movement’s online presence, alleging that a significant portion of the accounts supporting Obi were bots rather than genuine human followers.
“While acknowledging the raw numbers from the election,” Bwala said, “the movement was not a purely organic surge of human advocacy.”
The comments come as political parties begin early positioning ahead of 2027. Labour Party supporters have previously defended the Obidient movement as a genuine grassroots awakening, citing large physical turnouts at rallies as evidence against bot allegations.
There has been no immediate response from Peter Obi or the Labour Party to Bwala’s remarks.

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