FBI Doesn’t Have Criminal Record Against Tinubu – Reno Omokri

Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, spoke at length about Nigeria’s politics, President Bola Tinubu and the 2027 election. JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH was there for LEADERSHIP Weekend.

You strongly opposed President Bola Tinubu before the 2023 election and supported Atiku Abubakar. Today, you vigorously defend Tinubu and have said you will vote for him in 2027. What changed?

Sadly, many Nigerians are not sufficiently fact-driven. There is a tendency to be emotional rather than to follow evidence. I have always tried to be a fact-driven person. Before and around the 2023 election, the media reported certain things about President Tinubu, and I believed some of those reports. However, because I am naturally curious, I decided to investigate the allegations myself. I went to Chicago to investigate the claims about President Tinubu. I went to Chicago State University with a witness, and the process was documented. I was presented with evidence that President Tinubu attended and graduated from Chicago State University. Once I established this fact, I said so publicly, even though it ran counter to my political interests at the time. I also continued investigating the civil forfeiture case. After examining court documents and obtaining certified true copies, I concluded that some of what I had previously believed was incorrect. So, when the evidence changed, I changed my position.

 Would you still be defending President Tinubu today if he had not appointed you as an ambassador?

Yes. I defend what I believe to be the truth. Before President Tinubu appointed me ambassador, I was already defending positions I believed were supported by facts.

I do not need people to like me. I am comfortable being disliked. I have always tried to be fact-driven rather than emotional.

Are you saying categorically that the FBI records do not establish any criminality against President Tinubu?

Yes. There is no criminal record in the FBI’s records against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is an important difference between having an FBI record and having a criminal record.

A record is simply a record. Many people may have records because they have applied for visas, undergone background checks, or had other interactions that required FBI checks. The narrative being promoted is intended to confuse Nigerians into believing that an FBI record automatically equates to a criminal record. That is not correct. I have seen a document from the FBI, through the American Embassy, stating that a record check conducted through the FBI’s National Crime Information Centre returned a negative result for criminal arrest records and warrants concerning Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Why would President Tinubu resist the release of his FBI records if there is nothing criminal in them?

FBI records can contain highly sensitive personal information. Depending on the circumstances, they may include biometric information such as fingerprints and other personal details. Why would anyone want such private information released publicly? People should understand that demanding the release of someone’s entire FBI file is different from asking whether that person has a criminal record.

You also claimed that all major presidential candidates have FBI records. What do you mean?

An FBI record is not the same as a criminal record. Many people who have applied for American visas or undergone background checks may have records associated with those processes. The public must understand the difference between an FBI record and a criminal conviction.

You once worked closely with Atiku Abubakar and supported his presidential ambition. What happened between the two of you?

Nothing happened between us. We have not quarrelled. Waziri Atiku Abubakar remains my friend, and I still respect him. People may disagree politically without becoming personal enemies. Even when some of his associates attacked me publicly, I did not allow that to destroy my relationship with him.

If Atiku called you today and asked you to return and work on his campaign, what would you say?

There is nothing personal to reconcile, as we have not quarrelled. However, I cannot work on his campaign because there are policy issues on which I hold strong convictions. For example, I believe fuel subsidies are wrong.

You have said President Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar are almost like Siamese twins on economic policy. Why?

There is very little difference between their economic outlooks. They have similar political roots, and both have historically supported free-market economic policies. I understand Atiku’s economic philosophy very well. I worked closely with him and wrote his Chatham House speech from beginning to end.

The four major policies we said we would pursue during Atiku’s presidential campaign were: removing the fuel subsidy, floating the naira, devolving more powers to states and local governments, and introducing student loans. These are substantially the policies President Tinubu is implementing today.

Therefore, if someone claims to support those policies when proposed by Atiku but opposes them simply because Tinubu is implementing them, then the disagreement may be more personal than ideological.

Why are you opposed to Atiku’s proposal to subsidise fuel production or crude oil production?

I believe Waziri Atiku Abubakar may not have been fully informed about some of these issues. He is an intelligent man, but even intelligent people can make mistakes when they lack the right information. He said he wanted to subsidise the cost of a barrel of crude oil. However, Nigeria already has arrangements to support local refining, including the naira-for-crude arrangement. Millions of barrels have been allocated under arrangements to make crude available to local refineries.

Therefore, I believe some of the proposals being presented are based on incomplete information. I also heard him say he would reopen Nigeria’s borders, even though they are already open.

Similarly, he has spoken about directly funding local governments, despite major legal and policy developments concerning local government financial autonomy.

My concern is that some of the people around him may not be giving him sufficiently accurate information.

Are your disagreements with Atiku’s proposals purely ideological?

Yes, largely. I am 52 years old, and throughout my political life, I have consistently supported free-market policies. Atiku Abubakar has also historically supported them. It is difficult for someone who has spent his entire political life promoting free-market principles to suddenly abandon them completely at the age of 80.

Elections are approaching, and politicians sometimes make promises because they believe voters want to hear them. But I believe people should examine a politician’s long-term record rather than focus on campaign promises.

Can the opposition unite behind one presidential candidate in 2027?

I do not believe it will happen. The leading opposition figures have strong political ambitions and egos. I do not believe Peter Obi will step down for Atiku Abubakar, and I do not believe Atiku Abubakar will step down for Peter Obi. Therefore, I believe such an alliance is dead on arrival.

Will President Bola Tinubu win the 2027 presidential election?

Yes. The best predictor of future events is often past events. President Tinubu won the 2023 election despite significant challenges. Today, he enjoys greater political support across the country. I believe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election, and the opposition is preparing for another four years in opposition.