The gloves are off—and the war of words is getting nastier.
Lere Olayinka, a fiery aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has launched a blistering attack on veteran journalist and Arise TV anchor Reuben Abati, accusing him of hypocrisy and political bias after the latter called Wike “rude” and “disrespectful.”
The drama unfolded after Wike, known for his no-holds-barred rhetoric, took a swipe at his longtime political rival and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, labeling him a “power-hungry politician” during a recent media chat. Amaechi had earlier criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, prompting Wike’s fiery response.
But Abati, speaking on Arise News Tuesday morning, condemned Wike’s comments and accused him of lacking respect for political hierarchy.
“Nyesom Wike is very rude and disrespectful,” Abati said. “Rotimi Amaechi is his boss in politics. When he was local government chairman… it was Amaechi who helped him get there.”
That comment sparked immediate backlash from Wike’s camp.
Lere Olayinka, never one to mince words, took to X (formerly Twitter) with a stinging retort that questioned Abati’s moral credibility and painted him as a partisan masquerading as a neutral analyst.
“The same Reuben Abati who was comfortable being on a campaign podium as running mate to a fugitive wanted in America is now forming moral police on national TV,” Olayinka fumed.
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“Reuben Abati, a politician with clear affiliations, is pretending to be objective—just like his colleague, @ruffydfire, who is a known Labour Party supporter.”
Olayinka didn’t stop there. He dismantled the narrative that Wike owes political allegiance to Amaechi, offering a pointed history lesson:
“So how exactly is Amaechi Wike’s boss? When Amaechi was in the House of Assembly, Wike was already a Local Government Chairman. When Amaechi ran to Ghana in 2007, it was Wike who stayed back in Nigeria, risking everything to help reclaim Amaechi’s mandate.”
“But I’ll still not talk,” he concluded, sarcastically, after delivering a blistering monologue that clearly said it all.
The Bigger Picture: A Battle of Egos and Influence
This fiery exchange underscores the long-running bad blood between Wike and Amaechi, two titans of Rivers politics whose rivalry has shaped the state’s political trajectory for over a decade. But the new twist—dragging a respected journalist like Abati into the fray—raises serious questions about the blurred lines between journalism and political loyalty in Nigeria.
Abati, a former presidential spokesman under Goodluck Jonathan, has long claimed editorial independence on Arise TV. But critics are increasingly accusing him and some of his co-hosts of editorial partisanship disguised as punditry.
As the drama continues to unfold, one thing is clear: in the ruthless arena of Nigerian politics and media, no one is immune from the crossfire—not even the anchors.