Reno Omokri, ambassador-designate, says Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, cannot rely on past statements he made about President Bola Tinubu as a defence in his ongoing cybercrime trial.
Sowore is standing trial on a two-count charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS), arising from an August 25 post on X in which he described Tinubu as a “criminal” while reacting to the president’s comments on corruption during a visit to Brazil.
During proceedings on Tuesday, Marshal Abubakar, Sowore’s counsel, tendered video evidence while cross-examining the first prosecution witness.
Among the exhibits admitted was a flash drive containing several video clips featuring Omokri. One of the videos, played in open court, showed Omokri in a 2023 interview on ARISE TV, where he claimed to have documentary evidence that Tinubu was a “drug lord”.
Another clip showed Omokri stating that he would never work with Tinubu.
Omokri Says Claims Were Withdrawn
Reacting in a statement, Omokri said the remarks were made between 2022 and 2023, when he believed them to be true.
“I do freely admit that I made uncomplimentary remarks about the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress while believing those comments to be true at the time I uttered them,” he said.
“Subsequent to making those statements, I discovered that they were not true, and I publicly withdrew them in writing and on video at various times and through multiple platforms.”
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Omokri said he was misled by what he described as false claims about Tinubu, which he said he encountered mainly through Sahara Reporters and from Sowore himself.
He said he first publicly affirmed Tinubu as president on May 29, 2023, the day of his inauguration, and reiterated that position after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the president’s election.
According to him, the apex court judgement clarified issues that had been misrepresented by sections of the media and confirmed that there were no criminal charges or convictions against Tinubu.
Legal Argument Against Sowore’s Defence
On the legal implications, Omokri said it was improper for Sowore to rely on statements that had been withdrawn.
“In law, it is ultra vires and well established by the rule against hearsay to use previous statements made at a time when they were believed to be true to establish the veracity of a claim you yourself caused to be published,” he said.
READ ALSO: DSS Re-arraigns Sowore on Amended Cyberstalking Charges
Quoting Phipson on Evidence, Omokri said former oral or written statements cannot be admitted to prove the truth of matters asserted.
“Therefore, Mr Sowore cannot rely on statements I made between 2022 and 2023, which I publicly withdrew in 2023, as a defence for statements he made in August 2025,” he said.
Omokri again insisted that Tinubu “is not, has never been, and will never be a drug lord”, adding that he is prepared to testify under oath and present documentary evidence in support of his position.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
