Mixed reactions have trailed a recent report that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, allegedly funded the funeral of the late father of Arise TV’s host, Rufai Oseni.
Reno Omokri, the Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, alleged Obi funded the funeral of Rufai’s father.
Omokri alleged this on his X account on August 25 with a picture of Obi and Rufai.
He asked the former Anambra Governor to come clean on whether or not he gave money to Oseni during the latter’s father’s funeral, a move Reno said has influenced the journalist into making political comments and analysis in favour of Obi.
He posted: “AriseTV and Mr Rufai Oseni should kindly answer the following question. Did Mr Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, fund the funeral of Mr Rufai Oseni’s father by giving him money in cash or via electronic means, either directly or through a third party, in August 2022,
“…and has that influenced Mr. Oseni’s open bias in favour of Peter Obi, whereby Mr. Oseni used the AriseTV platform as a medium to campaign for and launder the image of Mr Peter Obi, and his undisguised personal animosity towards me for my refusal to support Mr Peter Obi’s Presidential ambition? I counsel them to think very carefully before they answer.”
Omokri, in one of the tweets, further called on Obi to publicly deny ever-inducing Oseni financially.
He added: “I asked a question that Mr. Peter Obi has NOT answered and has tried to use semantics to dodge.
“My question is this: Did Peter Obi fund the funeral of Mr Rufai Oseni’s father by giving him money in cash or via electronic means, either directly or through a third party, and has that influenced Mr. Oseni’s open bias in favour of Peter Obi, whereby Mr. Oseni used the AriseTV platform as a medium to campaign for and launder the image of Mr Peter Obi, and his undisguised personal animosity towards me for my refusal to support Mr Peter Obi’s Presidential ambition,” asked Omokri.
Reacting to Omokri’s questions, Obi refuted the claims that he financed the burial of Oseni’s father.
In his response via his X account, Obi said that he never sponsored such, adding that it is “a categorical lie.”
According to him: “There is a recent case where my name has been mentioned in a malicious and cheap blackmail against one of Nigeria’s best Television presenters, Mr. Rufai Oseni, who has stood sternly for what is right and has challenged me fearlessly on some occasions while speaking truth to power.
“I have recently been mentioned to have bribed Mr. Rufai Oseni by financially sponsoring the burial of his father.
“Let me clearly state that this is a categorical lie. It is not true, cannot be true and will never be true. Everyone who understands or follows my approach to things will attest to the fact that I do not give anyone money to promote my name.”
He added that he never enticed any journalist to speak or write in his favour.
“I have never and will never monetarily induce any journalist to speak or write in my favour. When I am invited to birthday celebrations or funerals, people know that I do attend.
“Countless journalists, media personnel, the less privileged, the wealthy etc., have all invited me to their occasions and they will attest to the fact that I honour such invitations, especially when people are grieving. I have never been to Rufai’s village. Even at the point of writing this, I do not know where he is from.
“One then wonders why people could decide to tarnish other people’s image for no justifiable reason. To those involved in such evil endeavours, I wish them well and pray that God will have mercy on them.”
Peoplesmind
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