Dele Alake, all round versatile journalist and Special Adviser on Strategic Communications of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has taken the owners of Arise TV, Nduka Obaigbena, and one of the station’s The Morning Show programme anchors, Reuben Abati, to the cleaners. Alake argued, justifiably too that it is not unlawful for Tinubu to shun the station’s invitation for its lack of credibility and moral suasion. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the foremost presidential candidate in the country and national leader of the ruling party.
Alake expressed his disappointment over Arise TV’s unprofessionalism and abhorrent arrogance in arrogating the sole right to organize a presidential town hall to itself on behalf of the entire Nigerian media.
In a recent interview on TVC monitored by Theliberationnews, Alake described Arise TV as ‘PDP Guillotine Machine’ on the basis that Abati, one of the anchors of the station’s programme, is a known member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was the running mate to PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, Buruji Kashamu, in Ogun state in 2019.
According to Alake, aside from Abati and Arise TV lacking objectivity and fairness, the veteran journalist equally accused Abati specifically of hypocrisy and holier than thou disposition while on air by leading an undeserved campaign of calumny against the person of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Abati, in Alake’s assertions has his own hands soiled with immorality and unprofessional pontification since he Abati, out of greed and lust for political office, contested for the Ogun state deputy governorship slot under the candidacy of Buruji Kashamu, “a known, indicted and officially wanted drug person” in 2019.
He also called Abati out for being a player in the embezzlement of $2.1 billion ‘DasukiGate’ meant for arms purchased and his consequent arrest by the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
His words of admonition to Abati and Arise News TV: “You are not the only medium in Nigeria. There are over a hundred media houses. How can you now arrogate to yourself the lofty position of a spokesperson of the entire Nigeria media. Who conferred that status on you?
“Townhall meeting anchors – The anchors of This Day Townhall and Arise TV Town Hall, Reuben Abati is a member of the PDP. Have people gotten selective amnesia conscience. How can you, in good conscience, expect Asiwaju of the APC to present himself to the PDP guillotine machine anchored by a PDP member, Reuben Abati…Oooh…Reuben Abati to be interviewing Asiwaju. Who does that? Is that a free press? And you have the temerity and audacity to fight for free press when you yourself are the anti-thesis of a free press. Abati was the deputy governorship candidate to the late Buruji Kashamu in Ogun State on the platform of PDP. Meanwhile, you are dragging Asiwaju and you’re trying to link him, unsuccessfully though, to a drug charge in Chicago when your own anchor was a deputy governorship candidate of a known, indicted and officially wanted drug person – Buruji Kashamu.
“Abati was his deputy gubernatorial candidate. Where are the morality and shame? How can Abati himself face Nigerians and be pontificating, puffing and puffing, moralizing when he himself was involved in the $2.1 billion dollar DasukiGate money meant for arms purchase for our Armed Forces to fight against Boko Haram? He was one of the partakers of the bazaar and he was put in the EFCC gulag. These are facts.”
Attempts by Theliberationnews to get Reuben Abati/Arise TV’s side of the story proved futile as calls put through to his line were not answered as at the time of publishing this story.
