Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has strongly criticised veteran journalist and Arise TV anchor Reuben Abati for labeling Wike as “very rude and disrespectful.”

Abati made the statement while reacting to Wike’s recent attack on former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of being power-hungry and failing to deliver even 10% of votes for Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election. According to Abati, Wike owes political loyalty to Amaechi, whom he referred to as Wike’s “political boss.”

“Wike is very rude and disrespectful because Amaechi is his boss in politics. When he was local government chairman during Amaechi’s second term, it was Amaechi who helped him to become LGA Chairman, Chief of Staff, and later Minister of State for Education,” Abati said.

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Taking to Facebook, Olayinka rejected Abati’s narrative, questioning how Amaechi could be considered Wike’s political superior.

“So how is Rotimi Amaechi Wike’s boss in politics? When Amaechi was a House of Assembly member, Wike was a Local Government Chairman. When Amaechi ran to Ghana in 2007, Wike stayed back and led the charge to retrieve Amaechi’s mandate,” he wrote.

Olayinka also took aim at Abati’s credibility, accusing the journalist of hypocrisy for aligning with controversial political figures in the past.

“The same Reuben Abati, who was comfortable being on the campaign podium as a running mate to a fugitive wanted in America, will now form moral police on Arise TV,” he added.

“Abati, a politician with clear political affiliation, keeps pretending to be objective, just like @ruffydfire, a known Labour Party supporter.”