Senator Adams Oshiomhole has challenged media personality and former presidential aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, to a street fight over the repeated on-air criticisms against him by Abati.
Oshiomole gave the challenge during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Tuesday night, May 13.
Visibly agitated during the interview, Oshiomole accused Abati of persistently attacking him from the comfort of the Arise News Channel studio without offering fair context or acknowledging his contributions to national development.
“If you want to abuse me, don’t hide under the TV. Let us meet on the streets and we fight it out,” Oshiomhole said, responding to what he described as Abati’s “consistent mischief and misrepresentation.”
He further criticised Abati for ‘downplaying' his labour activism legacy, stating;
“Even on Labour Day, he couldn’t credit me for leading protests. This is the same guy who once wrote, ‘Oshiomhole, the People’s President,’ when I was NLC president. Now he is asking, ‘What is my status?’”
Addressing Abati’s antecedents, Oshiomhole reminded listeners that Abati had alleedly once criticised former President Goodluck Jonathan, only to later accept a role as his official spokesman.
“You don’t condemn pounded yam and end up consuming it all over. After all that, the EFCC arrested him. Was I the one who granted him bail? Now he has left PDP and is where he is?”he said
He went on to suggest that Abati’s attitude might be influenced by political disappointment. “If you are angry because you wanted to become a deputy governor and you lost the election in Ogun State, is that the reason why you are so paranoid?”