Ambassador-designate of Nigeria to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old. Omokri, in a statement on Friday, also called on journalist and publisher Dele Momodu to confirm the authenticity of a photograph purportedly showing……
Ambassador-designate of Nigeria to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old.
Omokri, in a statement on Friday, also called on journalist and publisher Dele Momodu to confirm the authenticity of a photograph purportedly showing him with Tinubu in London in 1996.
The controversy followed an interview Atiku granted the BBC, published on Friday, in which he claimed that Tinubu was 90 years old and said he had evidence to substantiate the allegation in court.
Atiku said, “I have a president who is 90 years old now, and who is sick, and I am healthy, I am strong, so why would I not make my services available to my fellow countrymen?”
When the interviewer pointed out that Tinubu was not yet 90 and that his age could neither be confirmed nor denied, Atiku responded, “I have evidence that he is, and I will present it in court.”
Read Also: El-Rufai Is Being Prosecuted, Not Persecuted — Reno Omokri
Reacting to the allegation, Omokri shared a photograph purportedly taken in London in 1996, showing Tinubu alongside Momodu, and questioned whether the image was consistent with the claim about the President’s age.
He said, “This is a photo of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dele Momodu taken in London in 1996. If Asiwaju is indeed 90 years old, as recently alleged, then Dele Momodu must be in his eighties.
“Look at the photo yourself. I have not altered it in any way. Dele Momodu is alive to testify to the authenticity of this photograph and the date and place where it was taken.”
Omokri further argued that if Tinubu were 90 in 2026, he would have been 60 when the photograph was allegedly taken 30 years earlier.
“Does His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, look like a sixty-year-old in this photo?” he asked.
He added, “If Asiwaju is indeed ninety years of age, then he would have been sixty when this photo was taken exactly thirty years ago.
“I urge objective Nigerians and citizens of the world to again look at this photo. Does the gentleman on the right look sixty? Does he even look fifty?”
The ambassador-designate also appealed to Momodu, recalling the publisher’s previous remarks about Tinubu’s support for him while he was in exile during the regime of the late military ruler, Sani Abacha.
“I remind Dele Momodu that, by his own admission, Asiwaju was good to him when he was in exile from the Abacha regime.
“Mr Momodu is free to support whichever candidate he chooses. But will it be morally acceptable for Dele Momodu to watch idly by as a man who was once his benefactor, and who he once referred to as his friend, is being accused of being a nonagenarian suffering from ill health?” he said.
Omokri urged politicians to focus their campaigns on issues affecting Nigerians rather than what he described as attempts to “age-shame” political opponents.
“Perhaps we can raise the bar for this election by raising issues germane to the Nigerian people and brainstorming ideas to resolve the challenges plaguing our polity.
“But to age-shame people with ages that are not even theirs is to reduce the discussion about who governs Nigeria to an unbecoming level,” he said.
Tinubu, according to his publicly stated date of birth, is 74 years old, having been born on March 29, 1952. His age and academic records have previously been subjects of public debate, although he has consistently maintained his stated personal details.
Meanwhile, Atiku, who emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 election, said he remained physically fit and capable of seeking the presidency.
The former vice president said, “Why should you question me on my right? It is my constitutional right. I am strong, I am healthy, I am agile.”
Atiku said his experience, competence and patriotism were among the factors that qualified him to lead Nigeria.
He also criticised the Federal Government over insecurity, arguing that shortages in manpower and equipment had weakened the country’s security architecture.
The former vice president pledged that, if elected in 2027, his administration would tackle insurgency and insecurity within its first year in office.
“I believe within one year they should be able to see that. And believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” Atiku said.
