- Bwala said salary payment delays are no longer an issue, as governors now enjoy strong monthly allocations from the federation account.
- The presidential aide claimed most PDP leaders and governors have not joined any opposition coalition and are still in the party.
The special adviser on policy communications to the president, Daniel Bwala, has said state governors are currently enjoying an era of robust financial inflow.
He made the comment while speaking on Politics Today, a live interview programme aired by Channels Television on Wednesday night.
Bwala said governors no longer face the hardship of delayed salary payments, which plagued several states under previous administrations.
“All the governors in Nigeria are having the best of times, like they are experiencing what we call the oil boom in their history as a country,” Bwala said.
“Twenty-seven states were once bankrupt, and salaries were not paid. That is not a conversation now.
“It is almost like an anathema to talk about people not being paid salaries because such a governor will be looked upon like Lucifer.
“There is revenue enough to pay salaries, there is revenue enough to meet the minimum wage, embark on projects, pay debts, and look to the future.”
Bwala’s remark followed a recent statement by the governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani, who described Tinubu as the most supportive president towards sub-national governments.
Sani had argued that no governor in the country would challenge Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
“Moreover, no president in Nigeria’s history has supported governors and sub-national governments the way President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently doing,” the governor said on Tuesday.
“As a result, it is unlikely that any governor in Nigeria would go against the president.”
Bwala also dismissed the idea of a strong political alliance forming to challenge the ruling party in the next election.
He said claims about the emergence of a grand coalition were exaggerated and lacked strong support from leading opposition figures.
According to him, most influential members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including its governors and executive leadership, remain within the party.
He said only a handful of individuals have exited the PDP to explore the coalition idea, contrary to widespread reports.