Ex-convict status disqualifies you from TV interviews – Lere blasts Oseni Rufai
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has launched a scathing attack on Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, labeling him an “ex-convict” unfit to interview Nigerians on television.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Olayinka alleged that Oseni’s 2022 traffic conviction disqualified him from playing such a prominent media role.
“Ordinarily, an ex-convict like @ruffydfire shouldn’t be working in a TV station and saying ‘I put it to you.’ In Nigeria, an ex-convict cannot hold public office until after 10 years. @ruffydfire was convicted in 2022,” Olayinka wrote.
He further mocked the broadcaster, adding:
“An ex-convict working in @ARISEtv and interviewing law-abiding Nigerians is an aberration. Ex-convict @ruffydfire needs our prayers. He has graduated from psychology to psychosis.”
The comments referenced an August 2022 incident in which Oseni was arrested for driving on a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane in Lagos and resisting police officers. He was subsequently arraigned before a mobile court, found guilty under the Lagos State Transport Law of 2018, and fined ₦70,000. After paying the fine, he publicly apologised on live television, admitting he had acted wrongly.
While Olayinka drew parallels between Oseni’s conviction and constitutional provisions barring ex-convicts from holding public office for 10 years, legal experts have clarified that such restrictions apply to electoral and certain criminal offences—not media employment.
Oseni, a graduate of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has since built a reputation as one of Arise TV’s most fearless anchors, noted for his uncompromising interviews with politicians and public figures.
