EU election report: Igbo threw banters against Yoruba, Arise TV contributed negatively – APC’s Oladotun

A former member of the dissolved All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, Oladotun Hassan, has accused Igbos of championing ethnic bigotry days to the 2023 general elections.

Oladotun also accused Arise Television and one of its anchors, Rufai Oseni, of contributing to it through their negative reports.

He claimed that Oseni particularly picked questions as if he were a member of the Labour Party, LP.

Oladotun made the allegations on Monday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme coming on the heels of the European Union’s Election Observation Mission, EU EOM, report on the 2023 general elections.

Recall that the EU EOM had noted that shortcomings in law and electoral administration hindered the conduct of well-run and inclusive elections and damaged trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

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However, Oladotun said the Igbos and Arise Television should be blamed for some of the skirmishes in the run-up to the election.

He said, “Most times Mr Rufai, you know, you pick your questions as if you’re political and in line with Labour Party as card carrying member; sorry to say this.

“The way I put it to you that Datti Baba-Ahmed made a seditious statements that are criminal in nature. These are electoral processes. These are citizens’ value system. And in all fairness, in a cross of competition, everybody deploy whatever arsenals at their disposals.

“In view of the fact that we are all citizens, there are certain things I will come on air and I have to condemn. I have come severally, even in the last time that I was here, I condemned some certain statements and I reassured Igbo people of their safety in Lagos.

“For the fact that for every action there’s a reaction. When the Igbos go on from here and there, trying to throw a lot of banters at Yoruba people, called them names; it’s all there. Even majority of this our theatre practitioners, Nollywood actors from the Igbo side, we all saw how much they were throwing into the media.

“And I must say sincerely Arise Television equally contributed negatively towards all those things because some things were reported negatively.

“At some instances, your whole soliquization on media, you attacked the APC.”