Reno Omokri, Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old.
Omokri, in a statement issued on Friday, also challenged journalist and publisher Dele Momodu to authenticate a photograph he said was taken with Tinubu in London in 1996.
The development followed Atiku’s interview with the BBC, published on Friday, in which the 2027 African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate claimed that Tinubu was 90 years old and said he had evidence to support 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 questioned the claim and noted that Tinubu was not yet 90, Atiku responded: “I have evidence that he is, and I will present it in court.”
Omokri Produces 1996 Photograph
Reacting to the allegation, Omokri shared a photograph purportedly showing Tinubu and Momodu together in London in 1996.
According to Omokri, the photograph raises questions about Atiku’s claim regarding the President’s age.
“This is a photo of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dele Momodu taken in London in 1996,” Omokri said.
“If Asiwaju is indeed 90 years old, as recently alleged, then Dele Momodu must be in his eighties.”
Omokri challenged Momodu to confirm the authenticity, date and location of the photograph, arguing that such confirmation would provide additional context to the ongoing debate over Tinubu’s age.
The exchange has added another dimension to the growing political debate over the age and fitness of Nigeria’s major political figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku’s claim remains an allegation, while Omokri’s photograph-based argument does not by itself establish the President’s exact date of birth.
