Wike's aide defends PDP candidate after 'gbewudani' insult, exposing Tinubu support contradiction
Premium Times reports that Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, clashed with Arise Morning Show anchor Rufai Oseni on Friday, September 4, after Oseni described PDP presidential candidate Sandy Onor as 'gbewudani'—a Yoruba term meaning stooge or puppet. Olayinka refused to answer Oseni's question, calling the term offensive and demanding the conversation remain 'among reasonable human beings.' The controversy stems from Wike's public support for President Bola Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid while simultaneously backing Onor as the PDP's presidential candidate against Tinubu. Olayinka inadvertently strengthened the 'gbewudani' perception by revealing Wike told Onor he was 'free to contest' despite acknowledging the PDP's current weakness, and by suggesting some candidates merely 'register presence' by running without expecting to win. The article argues this dynamic reveals a deeper issue: influential godfathers like Wike fielding weak candidates while supporting opponents, creating perceptions of puppet politics where candidates serve agendas not their own. Oseni's metaphor gains plausibility from Wike's open Tinubu support, his role in Onor's emergence as consensus candidate through Wike-aligned figures, and the apparent lack of expectation for PDP success in 2027. The piece concludes that the real issue isn't whether the term offends, but whether Nigeria's political circumstances make such descriptions conceivable—highlighting a pattern where leaders approve and reprobate positions while assuming citizens cannot read between the lines.