The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has vehemently called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withdraw the nomination of Reno Omokri from the list of ambassadorial candidates, citing his alleged untrustworthiness and past scathing remarks against the president. �
In a statement released on Monday by its National President, Igboayaka Igboayaka, the OYC expressed strong reservations regarding Omokri’s potential diplomatic appointment. The group questioned the rationale behind considering someone who had previously expressed deep distrust for President Tinubu to now represent Nigeria on the international stage.
Igboayaka specifically referenced several Facebook posts made by Reno Omokri in December 2022. One particular post highlighted by the OYC president saw Omokri reportedly describing President Tinubu as “a known drug lord, who belongs in jail, not Aso Rock.” The OYC president conveyed disbelief that Omokri had seemingly been cleared for such a significant ambassadorial position, suggesting a failure on the part of security agencies to conduct adequate background checks. �
�Clearing Reno Omokri by security agents for the ambassadorial post is an indication that his allegations against Bola Ahmed Tinubu are factual, because according to Reno, �Tinubu is a known drug lord,�� Igboayaka stated in the press release.
The OYC argued that appointing Omokri as a diplomat would, in essence, endorse and legitimize the serious and negative accusations he previously made against the president. They contended that it would be a significant contradiction for President Tinubu to appoint an individual who had publicly made such damaging claims about his character and integrity.
To further substantiate their concerns, the OYC drew attention to another Facebook post by Omokri, dated December 17, 2022. In this post, Omokri claimed to have visited Chicago and obtained “verified documents” pertaining to Tinubu’s alleged history with drug-related activities. The OYC also pointed to Omokri’s suggestion in the same post that obtaining a sample of Tinubu’s hair or urine could allow a laboratory to confirm if the president was still involved in drug use, further fueling the controversy surrounding the nomination.
Igboayaka then posed a pointed question: �If Nigeria�s security agencies cleared Reno to represent Nigeria, does it imply that Reno�s allegations of a drug-related issue involving Tinubu have been substantiated?�
The OYC president urged Nigerian security agencies to uphold their professional standards by demanding that Omokri produce the “verified drug documents from Chicago” that he claimed to possess in 2022. Additionally, they called for a public disclosure of any information regarding drug deals that Omokri might have.
According to Igboayaka, Reno Omokri�s failure to pass a basic integrity test is evident in his history of making unsubstantiated and damaging allegations against the president, only to later seek a position within his administration. The Ohanaeze Youth Council is urging President Tinubu to reconsider this nomination in light of these serious concerns.
