In response to claims made by Mr. Omoyele Sowore and his attorney, Mr. Abubakar Marshal, in court on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Reno Omokri has issued a detailed statement addressing remarks he previously made about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Omokri acknowledged that he made negative comments about Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign, which he believed to be accurate at the time. However, he emphasized that upon discovering the statements were unfounded, he publicly retracted them through written statements and video messages across multiple platforms.
The timeline of Omokri’s retractions includes several key moments. On May 29, 2023, during Tinubu’s inauguration, he released a statement recognizing Tinubu as president and calling for public support. He reaffirmed this position on October 26, 2023, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that dismissed petitions against the president and clarified there were no criminal charges or convictions against him.
Two days later, Omokri appeared on TVC, describing the Supreme Court’s judgment as righteous and praising the justices for upholding the law. On March 27, 2025, during a Newscentral Television interview, he deliberately used the word “exonerated” to convey that the president had been absolved of wrongdoing by a constitutionally recognized body.
His most public admission came on June 11, 2025, during a live broadcast on Politics Today, where he acknowledged relying on false media publications, particularly from Saharareporters and Sowore himself, when making his initial statements. Omokri also revealed that on October 1, 2024, he traveled from California to Nigeria to personally apologize to President Tinubu, prostrating before him and explaining that his previous comments stemmed from being misled rather than malice.
From a legal standpoint, Omokri cited the rule against hearsay, referencing Phipson on Evidence and the case of Teper v. R. He argued that Sowore cannot use statements he made and later retracted between 2022 and 2023 as defense for claims made in August 2025—particularly since Sowore’s platform originated those allegations over a decade ago.
Omokri concluded by stating unequivocally that President Tinubu is not, has never been, and will never be a drug lord, describing him as a person of good character and moral standing whose capacity for forgiveness makes him suited to lead Nigeria’s diverse population.
He affirmed his willingness to testify under oath and provide documentary evidence supporting his claims.
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