RENO OMOKRI TO SOWORE: YOU CANNOT RELY ON MY RETRACTED STATEMENTS AS LEGAL DEFENCE
- Admits making ‘uncomplimentary’ remarks about Tinubu in 2022/2023
- • Says statements were based on misinformation from Sahara Reporters
- • Affirms: “President Tinubu is not, and has never been a drug lord”
The self styled Human rights activist and social media influencer, Bemigho Reno Omokri, has formally responded to claims made by Mr. Omoyele Sowore and his counsel, Mr. Abubakar Marshal, during court proceedings on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday via his verified meta (Facebook) account @Reno Omokri, Omokri admitted that while he had previously made uncomplimentary remarks regarding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 electioneering period, those statements have since been voluntarily and publicly withdrawn after he discovered they were “fallacious.”
Omokri detailed a timeline of his recantation, noting that as far back as May 29, 2023—the day of the Presidential Inauguration—he had urged the public to support the President. He further cited the Supreme Court judgment of October 26, 2023, as the definitive turning point that cleared the President of any criminal convictions.
“In that judgment, the honourable court declared that there were no criminal charges or convictions against the President,” Omokri stated. “On the same day the judgment was rendered, I accepted it, applauded it, and stated that my stance had changed.”
The activist also revealed that on October 1, 2024, he travelled from his base in California to Nigeria to seek a private audience with the President, where he apologized in person.
Addressing the legal strategy of Mr. Sowore’s team, Omokri, who holds a Master’s in Law from the United Kingdom, argued that his past statements are legally inadmissible as evidence of “truth” because they have been retracted by the maker.
Citing Phipson on Evidence and the case of Teper v. R, Omokri argued:
“Former oral or written statements by any person… may not be given in evidence if the purpose is to tender them as evidence of the truth of the matters asserted.”
He further contended that Sowore cannot rely on remarks made in 2022 as a defence for actions taken in August 2025, especially since the information originally emanated from Sowore’s own platform, Sahara Reporters.
Omokri reaffirmed his current position on the President’s character, describing him as a “professed Muslim with the largeness of heart to forgive enemies.”
“I again affirm today… that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not, has never been, and will never be a drug lord,” he stated.
Omokri expressed his readiness to testify under oath and provide timestamped documentary evidence to support his affirmations of restitution and the President’s exoneration.
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