Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Arise Television journalist Rufai Oseni has launched a blistering verbal attack on Primate Elijah Ayodele, the leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, over the cleric's recent warning to President Bola Tinubu to block the release of FBI documents relating to an alleged drug trafficking investigation. Oseni, known for his sharp and unflinching commentary, questioned the moral authority of the clergyman and dismissed his stance as incompatible with the principles of transparency and national integrity.
The clash erupted during a televised discussion on Arise Television's "What's Trending" segment on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, when Oseni was challenged about remarks that appeared to contradict Primate Ayodele's position. The cleric had earlier urged President Tinubu to do everything possible to prevent the United States from releasing certain FBI documents, warning that their disclosure could have serious consequences for his administration and the country. Ayodele had declared, "For the sake of Nigeria to be moving forward, for Nigerians' parity, for Nigeria progress, Tinubu, do everything, everything! Don't let America expose that document".
Oseni's response was immediate and blunt. "Who is Primate Ayodele when I am talking?" he said, refusing to yield the floor. He argued that the emergence of what he described as a "new dimension" in the Tinubu drug case had changed the conversation. He said documents released by the Montague family showed there was a criminal investigation, which he suggested could be connected to an earlier civil forfeiture process — though he noted that the full picture remained unclear because the unredacted records had not been made public.
Rather than Tinubu hiring lawyers to shut down the process, Oseni said the president should be the one pushing for full disclosure, telling the world directly: "Release whatever they have of me, so that I'll be able to show to the world that is not what a lot of people think". He extended the same logic to Tinubu's educational background, arguing the president should voluntarily provide details about the schools he attended and his academic records.
Oseni turned his sharpest criticism on Primate Ayodele, repeatedly questioning what kind of man of God would counsel a leader to hide his past from citizens. "Which kind of shepherd tells people to hide their past when it concerns a nation? Which kind of shepherd is saying somebody should do everything to crush a case where integrity has to come?" he asked, visibly agitated. He told the host that Nigerians already suffer reputational damage internationally because of the controversy surrounding Tinubu, saying people in other countries make "side jokes" about Nigeria over the back-and-forth of a sitting president being linked to a drug case in a foreign court. "Do you know what it does to us?" he said, arguing that whatever a president does reflects on every Nigerian citizen.
In his explanation of why the FBI might not release the unredacted document, Oseni suggested that Tinubu may have provided information that contributed to the investigation and crackdown on drug-related activities in the past. According to him, privacy concerns could prevent the FBI from releasing the complete document. "Yes, you will push for conversations about privacy, and also, in all fairness, I do not think that the FBI will release an unredacted document on President Tinubu because he had volunteered to give information that led to the investigation and crackdown of these drug elements in the past," Oseni said.
However, Oseni argued that Tinubu should consider waiving his privacy rights in the interest of transparency, noting that the president's position makes the matter different from when the alleged events occurred. He said releasing the records would help dispel lingering questions surrounding the president's alleged involvement in drug-related and criminal matters in the United States. "But the argument I can only make is on the part of morality. President Tinubu now belongs to us, the over 200 million Nigerians. It is only fair for him, for the sake of transparency, to even decide to waive his privacy rights," Oseni said. "If we don't get to the end of this document and everything is fully redacted, the air will continue to loom around him that the president of a nation like Nigeria had the back and forth as regards a drug and criminal case in America".
The documents in question are at the centre of a long-running Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has sought records from the FBI and the DEA concerning Tinubu, including the president's FBI file and interview records connected to a 1992–1993 Chicago investigation into a suspected heroin trafficking ring. While Tinubu was never criminally charged and has consistently denied any involvement in drug trafficking, the investigation led to the civil forfeiture of approximately $460,000 linked to an account associated with him. The FBI has sought to withhold some records, citing exemptions related to law-enforcement techniques, privacy, informants, and the potential safety of individuals. Some documents have already been processed and partially released with redactions, while others remain under seal for the court's review. Tinubu has intervened in the case through his lawyers, arguing that further disclosure could violate his privacy rights.
Oseni concluded that he was speaking to the "morality of a nation, the strength of a nation," and said Ayodele was entitled to his opinion, but so was he. His comments have ignited a fierce debate across social media, with some Nigerians applauding his call for transparency and others questioning the timing and intent of his remarks. As the 2027 elections approach, the controversy surrounding the FBI documents and Tinubu's past is likely to remain a contentious issue, with figures like Primate Ayodele and Rufai Oseni representing opposing sides of a deeply polarised national conversation.
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