Rufai Oseni, Reuben Abati Clash Live on Arise TV Over Wike’s Tinubu Endorsement and PDP Candidate Jibe
A heated on-air exchange between Arise Television anchors Rufai Oseni and Reuben Abati during Thursday’s edition of “The Morning Show” has sparked widespread reactions online, after Oseni described Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Senator Sandy Onor as a “Gbewudani,” prompting Abati to warn of potential defamation lawsuits against the station.
The exchange erupted while the anchors were discussing recent comments by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who declared during a media chat in Abuja that Rivers State was already politically secured for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election, warning other politicians eyeing the state to “forget it.” Wike, who remains a member and national leader of the PDP despite his open support for Tinubu, has repeatedly pledged to deliver both the FCT and Rivers State for the president’s re-election bid.
Reacting to Wike’s remarks, Oseni questioned why the minister would continue campaigning for Tinubu rather than his own party’s presidential candidate, going on to describe Onor as a “Gbewudani,” a Yoruba expression he explained loosely translates to someone reduced to the role of “hold my clothes,” or being sidelined while events unfold around them. Oseni argued that Wike’s open declaration of support for Tinubu, while remaining a PDP leader, effectively amounted to making a mockery of the party’s own presidential candidate.
Abati immediately intervened, cautioning his co-host that the remark could expose both him and the station to a defamation lawsuit that Arise TV would struggle to pay. He further argued that Oseni had maliciously impugned Onor’s integrity and, separately, created an unfair innuendo concerning Oyo State APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli. Oseni pushed back against the warning, accusing Abati of routinely invoking the threat of lawsuits whenever the two anchors disagreed on political matters.
The reference to Alli stemmed from a separate viral video controversy that had already generated significant public debate in the days prior. The clip, which circulated widely from Wednesday, September 2, showed a male student from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, sitting on Alli’s lap during an interview at his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan, with the senator also seen briefly touching the student’s leg. Alli’s campaign team explained that the student was part of a delegation from the institution’s Department of Banking and Finance who had visited to invite him to a departmental programme and conduct an interview, and that the office was too crowded to seat everyone, prompting Alli to ask the student to sit on his lap so the interview could continue. The campaign described the gesture as spontaneous and fatherly, accusing critics of engaging in political blackmail and warning against attempts to sexualise an ordinary interaction.
The PDP has since formally demanded a public apology from Oseni over the “Gbewudani” remark, with the party’s National Publicity Secretary describing the comment as falling below the standards expected of responsible journalism and warning Arise TV’s management against allowing its platform to be used to ridicule or disparage its presidential candidate.
Reactions to the on-air clash have remained sharply divided online, with some commentators praising Oseni’s willingness to scrutinise political figures without restraint, while others criticised his choice of language as reckless and potentially damaging amid Nigeria’s already polarised political climate ahead of the 2027 general election.
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