Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has explained that his past criticism of President Bola Tinubu was based on information he later found to be untrue, saying he publicly retracted the remarks before affirming Tinubu’s presidency.
A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has responded to comments made during the ongoing trial of activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, following questions raised over Omokri’s clearance by the Department of State Services for an ambassadorial appointment despite past remarks against President Bola Tinubu. In a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Wednesday, Omokri addressed claims raised in court by Sowore and his lawyer, Mr Abubakar Marshal, during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
The issue arose during the trial when Sowore’s counsel queried why the DSS cleared Omokri despite his previous description of Tinubu as a “drug lord” on national television. Reacting, Omokri admitted that he made the remarks in the past but said he later discovered they were untrue and withdrew them publicly. “With regard to the claims made by Mr Omoyele Sowore and his counsel, Mr Abubakar Marshal, in court on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, I do freely admit that I did make uncomplimentary remarks about the then Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, while believing those comments to be true at the time I uttered them,” he said.
He added, “Subsequent to making those statements, I discovered that they were not, in fact, true, and I publicly withdrew them in writing and on video at various times and through multiple platforms.” Omokri further stated that he affirmed Tinubu as President on May 29, 2023, the day he was sworn in, and urged Nigerians to move on from the controversy.