“Opposition Tribesmen Disguised As Journalists” — APC’s Felix Morka Clashes With Arise TV’s Rufai Oseni Over Tinubu’s Kaduna Rally

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Felix Morka, has clashed with Arise TV Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, over Rufai’s scathing analysis of President Bola Tinubu’s speech at the APC presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna.

Morka appeared on the Right of Reply segment of Arise TV on Tuesday, saying he came specifically to respond to Rufai’s earlier description of the Kaduna rally as the worst campaign stump ever.

Recall that Rufai had on Monday said: “I think that was the worst campaign stump I’ve ever heard in my life by President Tinubu… A man that has spent close to four years could not even use five minutes… What has this man done to you? You cannot write him a five-minute speech that will give a summary and defend effectively the policies he’s made… You just allow a man like that to ad-lib at the inaugural campaign speech? A speech where a man was so disjointed, so discoordinated… There was no cadence, no start, no finish, no ideology, no punchlines.”

Rufai had also faulted Tinubu’s poverty defence, saying “Who brought 62% of poverty? Is it not President Tinubu? Is it not his decisions?” and demanded APC bring a manifesto.

Responding, Morka lambasted Rufai and accused him of acting as an opposition tribesman.

Rufai Oseni: “…you went ahead and devalued the currency. All of us got poorer. Are you asking a question, Rufai, or you’re making another speech?”

Felix Morka: “So these are the points, you know? I am laying down…”

Rufai Oseni: “Hold on, there is no time. Please, let’s go to questions.”

Felix Morka: “No, let me, Rufai, wait. Facts are stubborn. I am laying down the facts for you.”

Rufai Oseni: “I, I hope you give me the same time to respond to you. Internalize the fact. Internalize the fact. So what are you saying? That he has done well? You have two minutes to respond to all of this. I have laid out all the data for you. Respond to the data, speak to the data.”

Felix Morka: “You see, you know, Rufai, first of all, that’s better and fair. Because, you know, I actually came here today because I was interested in responding to you on some of the things you said, your analysis of the Kaduna, you know, rally.”

Rufai Oseni: “Go ahead.”

Felix Morka: “Rufai, you know, before I come to the question you’re asking today, which is really quite frankly, you know, your question is, you know, not there, let me just put on the record that we had a rally in Kaduna. A lot was said here on this station. We had a rally in Kaduna that was a spectacular success. The rally was intended to bring together, you know, party members, leaders, supporters, and all citizens of goodwill to Kaduna, to, you know, welcome the president and at the flag-off of our presidential campaign. That event was, you know, incredible and was electric.”

“Now, the event, you know, post-event, on this show, my dear friend Rufai, you, you were very vigorous in your analysis, describing the president’s speech, you know, in language that I won’t even, you know, dignify to repeat on this station at this time. But for those who don’t understand the nature of that event and who, you know, think they understand and are filled with their own opinions about that event, it was a campaign rally. It was not a policy monologue or dialogue, or a policy summit, or some place where you expected speeches or a speech from the president that was crafted and delivered to, you know, appease what I call quite frankly, a lot of opposition tribesmen who are dressed as journalists, who come to say a lot of things on national television, in language that is actually completely disparaging, disrespectful, and wrong on national television.”

“That is absolutely wrong. And I, I listened to you, you know, my dear friend, and you know, quite frankly, you had a lot of things to say. But maybe it’s just because you don’t understand the nature of a campaign rally. All the president needed to do in Kaduna was to show up, show up and say to people in Kaduna, you know, thank you for your hospitality, I appreciate your support, please support me again in 2027. If that’s all he said, he did the job. And the issue of political or campaign strategy is not liable to your interpretation. That is something that we do at the backend of the party and we present it as we did.”

“Please, Mr. Rufai, please, Mr. Rufai, please, I beg of you. I beg of you, my dear brother, my dear brother, please. Rufai, please, please, you know, please, please, Rufai, you had your time when you made those comments. You know, I’m here to exercise a right of reply, and I beg of you, you know, I’m not, you know, I don’t like to contend, and I just pray that we have this conversation without this, you know, back and forth.”

“As I said, a campaign rally of that kind in Kaduna was not, it’s not a policy dialogue where you expect the kind of stylized speeches to be given. As I said, even if the president came there and danced and said to his people, I appreciate you, thank you so much, and left the stage, he had done the job. And the only people who are able and capable and authorized to analyze it and say whether he was successful or not, are those who frame that entire program. Not people who sit in the studio to perform the job of opposition tribesmen and women and expect that you can simply make a call about a rally that is not yours, you didn’t do it, and you’re offering to write speeches.”

“Listen, those in the opposition that are in that, that I call the tribesmen, that apparently my dear friend that I’m beginning to think you’ve just at the service of that system, they need your advice. Up to now, they have not managed to announce a successful, successfully announce a campaign council. They haven’t done that.”

Rufai Oseni: “Mr. Morka…”

Felix Morka: “Two things… and issue, one single issue for that… Take your opinions to them. Take your opinions to them, rather than advise, you know, to write a speech for the President.”

Rufai Oseni: “Mr. Morka, you’ve been speaking for long. Yeah, the President did have that coming. Can’t you see that your pushback argument was very weak? You ran out of words. You started repeating yourself over and over again. It’s a very weak argument. You have not said anything. You just rambled. It was very flat. When you’re ready, I’ll debate this with you. Secondly, you’ve not even answered my question on poverty when I asked you.”

The heated exchange highlights mounting media scrutiny and political crossfire as parties ramp up preparations ahead of the 2027 elections.