Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accused former presidential candidate Reuben Abati of hypocrisy on Friday. Olayinka pointed out that Abati previously served as a gubernatorial running mate to a notorious drug lord. In 2019, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State selected Abati as the running mate to its gubernatorial candidate, the late Buruji Kashamu, who was sought by the United States for drug trafficking before his death. Olayinka criticized Abati for claiming a moral high ground on national television, particularly after Abati labeled Wike as rude for comments directed at former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Olayinka stated, “Abati has habitually appeared on this station acting as a moral authority, yet fails to acknowledge his past as a politician and member of the PDP, where he was the party’s deputy gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State, and was seen alongside someone the American government wanted for drug trafficking. It is that same individual who condemns a former governor and minister, whom he once sought assistance from, as rude and a bully.”
