Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide and ambassador-designate, has stated that Omoyele Sowore cannot rely on his past remarks about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a defence in his ongoing cybercrime trial.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and convener of #RevolutionNow, is standing trial on a two-count charge preferred against him by the Department of State Services (DSS). The charge stems from an August 25, 2025, post on X (formerly Twitter), where he described President Tinubu as a “criminal” while reacting to the president’s remarks on corruption during a state visit to Brazil.
In a statement issued on Thursday, January 23, 2026, Omokri clarified that he had earlier made claims linking Tinubu to drug-related activities but had since withdrawn and apologised for those statements.
Omokri said: “I want to make it clear that I no longer stand by any previous claims I made suggesting President Bola Tinubu is a drug lord or involved in drug trafficking. Those remarks were made in the heat of political contestation, and I have since withdrawn them and apologised publicly. Sowore cannot use my withdrawn statements as a defence or justification for his current trial. The facts must speak for themselves, and I will not be dragged into defending what I have already retracted.”
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He further described Sowore’s post as “reckless and defamatory,” adding that freedom of expression does not extend to making unsubstantiated criminal accusations against the President of the Federal Republic.
The trial, which resumed recently at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has seen Sowore plead not guilty to charges bordering on cyberstalking and defamation. His legal team has argued that the post was an exercise of free speech and opinion, while the prosecution maintains it crossed into criminal defamation and incitement.
Omokri’s intervention comes amid heightened political tension, with the case widely viewed as part of broader efforts to curb critical voices ahead of the 2027 elections.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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