ABUJA – In a stunning courtroom about-face, ambassador-designate Reno Omokri has admitted that his previous characterisation of President Bola Tinubu as a “drug lord” was a fallacy, pinning the blame for the narrative on Peter Obi and activist Omoyele Sowore.
The revelation follows the proceedings on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at the Federal High Court, where Sowore’s counsel, Abubakar Marshal, tendered video evidence of Omokri’s 2023 interviews to defend his client against cybercrime charges. In those clips, Omokri had aggressively questioned the President’s moral standing and academic history.
However, in a comprehensive rebuttal released Wednesday, Omokri declared those statements dead. He revealed that he was “labouring under a mistaken belief” fueled by false media publications originating from Sowore’s platform, Saharareporters, and private assertions from his former political ally, Peter Obi.
“I do freely admit that I did make uncomplimentary remarks… believing those comments to be true at the time I uttered them,” Omokri stated. He added that his stance shifted irreversibly after the October 26, 2023, Supreme Court judgment cleared the President of criminal convictions. Omokri disclosed he flew from California on October 1, 2024, to apologize to Tinubu in person, literally “prostrating flat on the ground” to seek forgiveness.
Invoking the “rule against hearsay,” the UK-trained lawyer argued that Sowore cannot legally rely on withdrawn statements from 2022 to justify his own publications made in August 2025. Citing Phipson on Evidence, Omokri asserted that his retracted words are inadmissible as proof of truth in Sowore’s ongoing trial.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not, has never been, and will never be a drug lord,” Omokri affirmed, describing the President as a man of high moral standing. He signaled his readiness to testify under oath and provide timestamped evidence of his retractions, effectively turning from a critic into a potential star witness for the President’s character.
