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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Omokri challenges Atiku’s Tinubu 90-year-old claim with 1996 photo

From The Punch · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Reno Omokri challenges Atiku Abubakar's claim that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old.
  • Omokri presented a photograph purportedly taken with Tinubu and Dele Momodu in London in 1996.
  • He argued the photo raises questions about Tinubu's age, suggesting he would have been 60 at the time if he were 90 in 2026.

Reno Omokri, Nigeria's Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, has publicly challenged Atiku Abubakar's assertion that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old. Abubakar made the claim in a BBC interview, stating he had evidence to present in court.

Omokri responded by sharing a photograph he claims was taken with Tinubu and journalist Dele Momodu in London in 1996. He urged objective observers to examine the image, questioning whether Tinubu appeared to be 60 years old in the picture. If Tinubu were indeed 90 in 2026, he would have been 60 when the photograph was taken 30 years prior.

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.

— Reno OmokriOmokri's statement accompanying the shared photograph to challenge Tinubu's age claim.

"This is a photo of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dele Momodu taken in London in 1996," Omokri stated. "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."

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?

— Reno OmokriOmokri questioning the appearance of Tinubu in the 1996 photograph.

Omokri appealed to Momodu, reminding him of Tinubu's past support during Momodu's exile from the Sani Abacha regime. He questioned the morality of Momodu remaining silent while his former benefactor faces accusations of being a nonagenarian with health issues. Omokri emphasized that Momodu is free to support any candidate but suggested a moral obligation to address the age claim.

The exchange highlights the ongoing political discourse and scrutiny surrounding President Tinubu's age and health, with Omokri using photographic evidence to counter Abubakar's claims.

I remind Dele Momodu that, by his own admission, Asiwaju was good to him when he was in exile from the Abacha regime.

— Reno OmokriOmokri appealing to Momodu's past relationship with Tinubu.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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