The controversy surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s age has taken another turn after Reno Omokri cited what he described as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document containing the President’s date of birth.
Omokri, who has been nominated as Nigeria’s ambassador to Mexico, used the document to challenge a recent claim by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that Tinubu is 90 years old.
Speaking during a podcast interview with Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Digital and New Media, Omokri said the document originated from the FBI and was sent through the U.S. Embassy in Lagos to Nigerian authorities.
He said the correspondence was connected to an earlier request concerning Tinubu and contained the outcome of an FBI record search.
What Omokri says the document contains
According to Omokri, the FBI search found no criminal arrest records, outstanding warrants or wanted notices concerning Tinubu.
He said the document also recorded Tinubu’s date of birth as March 29, 1952.
Omokri maintained that the date contained in the document contradicts the assertion that Tinubu is 90 years old.
He said the document was particularly important because it was addressed to Nigerian government authorities and related to a record check conducted by the FBI.
Atiku says he has evidence
The issue became a subject of renewed political debate after Atiku Abubakar claimed that he had evidence to support his assertion about Tinubu’s age.
The ADC presidential candidate said he would present the evidence in court.
Omokri, while responding to the claim, said he had known Atiku personally but insisted that the former vice president was not his principal.
The ambassador-designate argued that the FBI correspondence provides a different account of Tinubu’s age and should be considered in the ongoing debate.
The controversy comes amid heightened political activity in Nigeria, with the President’s supporters and opposition politicians increasingly trading accusations and counterclaims.
For now, the competing positions remain part of an unfolding political dispute, with Atiku expected to rely on whatever evidence he says he possesses if the matter proceeds to court.
