Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni is facing questions on social media over his latest criticism of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, with one X user accusing him of suddenly discovering faults in the former Anambra State governor.

In a post on Friday, October 16, 2026, X user John Fanimokun (@JohnFanimokun) said Oseni had “suddenly discovered” that Obi is unprepared, inconsistent and surrounded by crisis, adding sarcastically, “How interesting!” The post carried a clip from an Arise News programme titled “Opposition and Party Politics Ahead of 2027”.

It drew a modest but active reaction, with a number of replies, reposts and likes. One reply argued that Oseni had always known these things and was only now saying them publicly.

The post followed Oseni’s comments on Arise’s Morning Show, where he was reacting to remarks by PDP chieftain Dan Ulasi on the opposition’s readiness for 2027.

Ulasi described Obi as the only serious opposition figure able to challenge President Bola Tinubu. He doubted, however, that the opposition could turn public dissatisfaction into votes, saying he had seen too little grassroots mobilisation or town hall engagement from NDC leaders.

Oseni responded by criticising Obi’s lack of visibility and pointing to infighting within the NDC. He also accused Obi of policy inconsistency, saying he had shifted his position on petrol subsidy from keeping it to removing it, while promising to fight corruption in the system. He argued that this was partly why Obi had lost some of his 2023 supporters.

The record shows that Oseni’s criticism of Obi is not entirely new, but it has not been unidirectional either. In July, he said Nigeria cannot be run on “vibes” and demanded a clear policy blueprint from Obi. In May, he described Obi as the only opposition figure with the national appeal to seriously challenge Tinubu. He also defended Obi’s move from the African Democratic Congress to the NDC while predicting more troubles for the party, including attempts to keep him off the ballot.

Earlier this week, he criticised candidates across the board, from the APC to the NDC, for failing to publish manifestos or commit to debates, saying the opposition and the incumbent were beginning to look almost the same.

Obi has yet to respond to the latest remarks. As the 2027 race builds up, the exchange shows how closely the media’s treatment of the opposition candidate is being watched by his supporters and critics alike.