Reno Omokri responds to Sowore’s court claims

…admits past remarks against Tinubu were wrong

Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has reacted to statements made against him by activist and former presidential candidate, Mr Omoyele Sowore, through his lawyer, Mr Abubakar Marshal, during court proceedings on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

In a detailed statement, Omokri acknowledged that he had previously made uncomplimentary remarks about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he was the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), explaining that he believed the claims to be true at the time.

However, Omokri said he later discovered that the allegations were false and subsequently withdrew them publicly, both in writing and through video messages, across several platforms. He stressed that his position changed definitively following judicial pronouncements that clarified the issues surrounding the President.

According to Omokri, on May 29, 2023—the day President Tinubu was sworn in—he released a public statement recognising him as the duly elected President of Nigeria and urged Nigerians to move past the elections and support the new administration. He said he reiterated this stance on October 26, 2023, after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging Tinubu’s election.

Omokri noted that the apex court, in its judgment, ruled that there were no criminal charges or convictions against the President, correcting what he described as years of misrepresentation by sections of the media. He said he immediately accepted and applauded the ruling, declaring that his earlier statements were not only wrong but “fallacious.”

He further disclosed that he affirmed the Supreme Court’s decision during a television interview on TVC on October 28, 2023, describing the judgment as righteous and in line with the law.

The former presidential aide added that he continued to publicly defend the court’s verdict in subsequent media appearances, including an interview on News Central Television on March 27, 2025, where he stated that President Tinubu had been “exonerated.” He explained that he used the term deliberately, citing his legal training and understanding of its meaning.

Omokri also recalled appearing on the television programme Politics Today on June 11, 2025, where he openly admitted to Nigerians and the international audience that his earlier claims were based on false media reports. He said he specifically apologised for relying on information published by SaharaReporters and statements attributed to Sowore.

Additionally, Omokri revealed that he privately apologised to President Tinubu during a meeting on October 1, 2024, after travelling from his residence in California to Nigeria. He said the apology was to express regret for being misled by inaccurate media publications and to clarify that his actions were not motivated by malice.

Omokri’s statement comes amid ongoing legal proceedings involving Mr Sowore, as public debate continues over past allegations made during Nigeria’s highly contested electoral season.