A live interview on Arise TV ended abruptly on Thursday morning after Lere Olayinka, Media Aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, refused to take questions from co-anchor Rufai Oseni, saying he would only speak to “reasonable human beings.”
The confrontation occurred during a discussion on the morning show about Minister Wike’s support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Tension rose when Oseni asked Olayinka about allegations of corruption involving some politicians and the minister’s previous defense that individuals should not be judged until indicted by a court.
“People that have cases of corruption and the defense that Minister Wike made that as long as they have not been indicted by the court, you cannot hold them,” Oseni said. “But it is also easy for people to use just cases of investigation as political weaponization against other politicians. And now that people are raising it, these people have cases that they need to clear in EFCC. You know, why is it that it’s so easy to use that as political weaponization against them? But when they are not in the fold of the APC, they are saying, as long as you’ve not gone through the court process, then it’s not a problem.”
In response, Olayinka declined to engage with Oseni directly.
“Well, I’m very sorry to say this Oseni Rufai, I don’t want to answer any questions from you. I want to concentrate, I want this conversation to be among these reasonable human beings. People who will not come and tell, who will not come and describe other people as ‘gbewudani’,” Olayinka said.
The term *“gbewudani” is a derogatory expression in Yoruba*, roughly meaning “worthless person.”
Co-anchor Ojy Okpe then intervened to close the segment.
“Mr. Olayinka, when you were coming to this interview on the morning show, I’m sure that you were aware that there are three anchors on the show,” Okpe said. “And so if you’re coming to present yourself to the morning show, then the onus is on you to present yourself to the three anchors who have been here based on their credibility and the efforts in terms of the experience. But no more questions since you say you do not want to answer. We thank you very much for your time with us this morning and hopefully see you again when you’re ready to speak to the three of us. Thank you.”
Following Okpe’s remarks, the interview was cut short.
The incident has since drawn reactions on social media, with viewers debating decorum during political interviews and the use of ethnic slurs in public discourse.
