By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
FORMER presidential aide, Mr Bemigho Reno Omokri, has formally rejected statements attributed to him and cited by activist and publisher, Mr Omoyele Sowore, in an ongoing legal matter, insisting that such claims were long withdrawn, corrected and publicly disowned.
In a detailed statement addressing comments made by Mr Sowore through his lawyer, Mr Abubakar Marshal, in court on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Mr Omokri admitted that he had, in the past, made uncomplimentary remarks about then All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He, however, stressed that those remarks were made in good faith at the time, based on information he later discovered to be false.
Mr Omokri stated that upon realising the inaccuracy of the claims, he withdrew them publicly in writing and on video across multiple platforms.
He added that on May 29, 2023, the day President Tinubu was sworn in, he issued a statement recognising him as Nigeria’s duly elected President and called on Nigerians to move forward in unity.
He noted that he reaffirmed this position on October 26, 2023, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of all petitions challenging President Tinubu’s election.
According to him, the apex court ruled that there were no criminal charges or convictions against the President and clarified issues that had previously been misrepresented in sections of the media.
Mr Omokri said he accepted and applauded the Supreme Court judgment on the day it was delivered, declaring his earlier claims not only wrong but entirely fallacious.
Two days later, on October 28, 2023, he reiterated this position during an interview on TVC, where he described the verdict as righteous and in line with the letter and spirit of the law.
He further disclosed that in an interview on News Central Television on March 27, 2025, he deliberately described President Tinubu as having been “exonerated”, explaining that as a holder of a Master’s degree in Law from the United Kingdom, he used the term to convey its precise legal meaning. This position, he said, was restated on June 11, 2025, during a live broadcast of Politics Today, where he publicly apologised for relying on false media publications in making his earlier remarks.
Mr Omokri also revealed that he had earlier sought a private audience with President Tinubu on October 1, 2024, during which he apologised personally, admitting that he had been misled by media reports and that his actions were not malicious.
Arguing from a legal standpoint, Mr Omokri maintained that it was improper and contrary to the rule against hearsay for Mr Sowore to rely on statements that had been publicly withdrawn years earlier to justify claims made in August 2025.
He cited Phipson on Evidence and the Privy Council decision in Teper v R to support his position.
He concluded by reaffirming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “is not, has never been, and will never be a drug lord,” describing the President as a man of good character and moral standing.
Mr Omokri stated that he made the declaration voluntarily and expressed readiness to testify under oath, with documentary and timestamped evidence, to substantiate his claims.
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