Wike’s Aide, Lere Olayinka, Slams Reuben Abati Over Jonathan-Era Media Failures

Media personality and former presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, is facing strong criticism from Lere Olayinka, a media aide to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who accused him of leading a “weak” media team during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

In a strongly worded post shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday morning, Olayinka blamed Abati’s performance as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity for what he described as the “successful demonisation” of Jonathan in the public eye.

“One of the reasons President Goodluck Jonathan was demonized successfully was his WEAK MEDIA led by that garrulous and arrogant @abati1990,” Olayinka wrote.

He alleged that while the former president’s image suffered in the media space, Abati “was just collecting money and doing Big Man.”

“Reuben Abati was just collecting money and doing Big Man while President Jonathan was being rubbished in the media. He failed as President Jonathan’s media adviser,” he added.

Olayinka’s comments appear to have been triggered by recent political commentary involving Abati, although the exact context of the outburst remains unclear.

Drawing from political slang, Olayinka also made reference to the combative nature of political media engagements in Nigeria, calling it a “gbas gbos” arena.

“In this game, when someone throws one pebble at you, look for a very big MUD (Ògúlùtu) and throw it at the person. This is not a gentleman’s game,” he said.

Reuben Abati served as the presidential spokesman from 2011 to 2015, during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. A seasoned journalist, columnist, and broadcaster, Abati is also a co-anchor of “The Morning Show” on Arise TV.

Jonathan’s tenure was marked by intense media scrutiny, including issues around corruption allegations, insecurity, and the 2015 general elections, which led to his loss to then-opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

In various post-office interviews, Abati has reflected on the challenges of government communication and defended the administration’s record. He is yet to issue a response to Olayinka’s latest accusations.

The post has since stirred reactions online, with some users defending Abati’s media credentials, while others echoed Olayinka’s sentiments on the administration’s communication shortcomings during its tenure.

As of the time of filing this report, Abati has not responded publicly to the allegations.