Lere Olayinka, Rufai Oseni Resume War of Words After Arise TV Clash

By Adebola Muili

The lingering face-off between media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, and Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, has taken a fresh turn, with the duo renewing their exchange on social media.

The latest development followed a post by Oseni on X, in which the broadcaster declared that he would continue with his work despite what he described as the “noise” surrounding him.

Oseni wrote: “With all the noise if you think I will stop doing my work because of you! Hahahahah! You are mistakened ooooo. Again, we start again!”

He also announced that he would be speaking at Alliance Française in Ikoyi, Lagos, later in the day, urging his followers to make plans to attend.

Reacting to the post, Olayinka turned his attention to the wording of Oseni’s message, pointing out what he considered grammatical errors in the broadcaster’s post.

Among other things, Olayinka faulted Oseni’s use of “mistakened”, saying the correct expression was “mistaken”. He also questioned the construction, “Again, we start again!”, and the phrase “I will be speak”, which he said should be “I will be speaking”.

Olayinka further corrected the reference to “Alliance France’s”, noting that the institution is properly known as Alliance Française.

The latest exchange has added a new dimension to the increasingly public war of words between the two men, coming after their heated encounter on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, where Olayinka appeared as a guest.

During the programme on Friday, Olayinka declined to answer a question from Oseni, saying he did not want to respond to the broadcaster and preferred to engage with what he described as “reasonable human beings”.

The disagreement reportedly followed Oseni’s question concerning the inclusion of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council despite corruption allegations against her.

Olayinka instead raised objections to Oseni’s previous use of the term “Gbewudani” in describing some political actors, leading to a heated exchange between the two.

The situation escalated until co-anchor Ayo Mairo-Ese intervened, reminding Olayinka that he was appearing before the three anchors of the programme.

She subsequently brought the interview to an end, saying Olayinka could return when he was ready to engage all three presenters.

The confrontation has since generated reactions, with commentators divided over Olayinka’s refusal to answer Oseni and the broadcaster’s interviewing style.

Dr Sam Amadi, for instance, called for accountability and professionalism from both public officials and journalists, stressing the need for the media to hold public officials accountable without becoming part of the confrontation.

However, rather than ending with the television encounter, the disagreement has spilled onto X, where the two men and their supporters have continued to trade words.

While Oseni, in his latest post, maintained that the controversy would not stop him from carrying out his professional duties, Olayinka’s response suggests that the dispute between the two men is far from over.