A heated debate erupted after Oga Obinna and Cassypool clashed over whether Larry Madowo’s CNN investigation into Tanzania’s post-election violence was factual or fabricated.
The two, who were engaging during a live online show, exchanged sharp accusations, each defending their version of the truth, as the controversy escalated across social media.
The dispute, which ended with Cassypool being sent out of the show, began when he categorically dismissed the documentary, insisting that the report was nothing more than manufactured misinformation.
“This is propaganda orchestrated by the same international media house exploited by our local brother,” he asserted, accusing Madowo of deliberately tarnishing Africa’s image, before further questioning the credibility of the alleged mass graves.
“Hautakuja hapa kuharibia Larry Madowo jina juu umelipwa!”~Obinna bitterly clashes with Cassypool over Larry Madowo’s documentary exposing the killings by Samia Suluhu’s regime in Tanzania. pic.twitter.com/t6cTuierBX
— Boniface (@kilundeezy) December 1, 2025
“The location captured by satellite imagery was near the city; it is inconceivable that people could be killed and buried so close to an urban area,” he argued.
Cassypool doubled down, claiming that Tanzanians had merely turned out to support their preferred candidate. “The people showed up ni wafuasi wao walishow up… let us stop being emotional and stick to the facts,” he stated.
Obinna, however, defended Madowo, lauding his professionalism and long-standing career, challenging Cassypool to provide concrete evidence rather than undermining journalism.
Ultimately, Obinna emphasised that the central concern was not media politics but the tragic and unnecessary loss of Tanzanian lives, before Cassypool stormed out.
The CNN exposé, led by Madowo, examined alleged killings and mass graves following Tanzania’s 29 October 2025 election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured 98% of the vote.
Civil unrest erupted as citizens protested what they claimed was a compromised electoral process.
The documentary relied on testimonies from over 100 Tanzanians, forensic video analysis, and satellite imagery. It reported that police had shot and killed protesters, including a three-month pregnant woman in Arusha.
Morgues in major cities reportedly reached capacity, leaving bodies on floors and outside. Satellite imagery also revealed disturbed soil at a cemetery shortly after the protests, raising suspicions of concealed mass graves.