Fresh FM shutdown: Diran Odeyemi alleges Ayefele ordered Agbami Oselu broadcast halted

The National Treasurer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Diran Odeyemi, has alleged that the proprietor of Ibadan-based Fresh FM, Evangelist Yinka Ayefele, ordered the abrupt shutdown of the station during a live political programme, Agbami Oselu.

Odeyemi made the allegation during a telephone conversation with Apreel 1 News shortly after the programme was interrupted.

According to him, Ayefele allegedly directed members of staff to take the station off the air because he was dissatisfied with the direction of the discussion on the programme.

Odeyemi described the alleged action as unprofessional, insisting that it was inappropriate for a live political programme to be interrupted over the content of its discussions.

The incident occurred during an edition of Agbami Oselu, hosted by the veteran broadcaster, Abolade Salami, where Odeyemi featured as a guest.

The development has since generated reactions in political and media circles, with concerns being raised over editorial independence and the management of politically sensitive broadcasts.

However, a source within Fresh FM, who spoke on condition of anonymity, gave a different account of the incident.

The source said the interruption may have been caused by ongoing technical maintenance rather than any deliberate attempt to halt the programme.

According to the insider, Fresh FM recently acquired new broadcast equipment worth hundreds of millions of naira as part of efforts to expand its operations and improve audio quality.

The source added that installation and testing of the newly acquired facilities could have necessitated the temporary disruption of transmission.

As of the time of filing this report, Fresh FM and its proprietor, Evangelist Yinka Ayefele, had yet to issue an official statement responding to Odeyemi's allegations or explaining the circumstances surrounding the interruption of Agbami Oselu.