Posted by Controversy persists over claims that Peter Obi, a member of the Labour Party, paid for the funeral of the father of Rufai Oseni, a journalist with Arise TV.
Reno Omokri, a social critic, had previously demanded an explanation from the ex-Anambra Governor on whether or not he had provided financial assistance to Oseni in the wake of the death of the latter’s father.
Reno said that the journalist’s favorable political statements and assessments toward Obi were influenced by the donor’s financial backing.
In a series of tweets, Omokri demanded that Peter Obi respond whether or not he had sponsored the funeral of Mr. Oseni’s father.
Omokri declared, “I asked a question that Mr. Peter Obi has NOT addressed and has sought to utilize technicalities to obfuscate.
Asking, “Did Peter Obi pay for Rufai Oseni’s father’s funeral in cash or electronically, either directly or through a third party, and has that influenced Mr. Oseni’s open bias in favor of Peter Obi, whereby Mr. Oseni used the Arise TV 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.
While answering Omokri’s queries, Peter Obi denied the claims, saying, “I have just been claimed to have bribed Rufai Oseni by monetarily sponsoring the burial of his father.
I have never and will never pay a journalist to write or speak positively about myself. People know that I honor my commitment to attend both birthday parties and funerals when I am invited. I have been invited to many events by journalists, media people, the poor, the rich, and everyone in between, and those who have invited me will tell that I always make an effort to attend, especially in times of mourning.
I’ve never even been to Rufai’s hometown! I still don’t know where he’s from, even as I write this.
While Obi sought to employ sophistry to avoid addressing the question, Omokri insisted that the presidential candidate had not answered his queries.
Having a master’s degree in law, he responded, “Look, I’m not moved by vacuous sophistry. I used semantics to avoid answering a question that Mr. Peter Obi had not directly addressed.
Asking, “Did Peter Obi pay for Rufai Oseni’s father’s funeral in cash or electronically, either directly or through a third party, and has that influenced Mr. Oseni’s open bias in favor of Peter Obi, in which 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. Would you like a yes or a no?
You did not answer that question, Mr. Peter Obi,” he continued. But that wasn’t the question I put to you; you stated you didn’t “bribe” Mr. Rufai Oseni. Directly or indirectly, did you make any financial contributions to Mr. Rufai Oseni? Should I say yes or no? Easy, Omokri questioned.
In addition, Omokri claimed that Arise TV host Rufai Oseni had threatened to kill him in an audio recording and had lied to Nigerians about obtaining a subpoena from Chicago State University (CSU) rejecting Tinubu’s studentship there.
He issued a challenge on social media, with the hashtag #PublishTheSubpoena, daring the journalist to print the subpoena served on Tinubu.
Omokri has also uploaded university paperwork on his handle proving Tinubu’s graduation from the university.
On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, Rufai Oseni said that Chicago State University had revoked Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials based on a subpoena he had issued.
A document was provided to me by @ChicagoState University, and I was challenged by professor Rufai Oseni to make it public.
Anyone with concerns about the authenticity of the document or the accuracy of the information it contains is encouraged to get in touch with Chicago State University using the phone number I provided (+1 (773) 995-2517) or the email address I provided (CSU-Registrar@csu.edu).
I am now calling on all Nigerians who are interested in the truth to demand that Rufai Oseni #PublishTheSubpoena and reveal whether or not President Bola Tinubu attended Chicago State University.
Since the news broke, people have started sharing their thoughts about it online, adding gasoline to the fire.
Supporters of Peter Obi, also known as the Obidients, and fans of Reno have taken the subject very seriously.