Ambassador-designate of Nigeria to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is 90 years old.
Omokri, in a statement on Friday, also challenged journalist and publisher Dele Momodu to authenticate a photograph purportedly taken with Tinubu in London in 1996.
His reaction followed an interview Atiku granted the BBC, in which the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate claimed that Tinubu was 90 years old and maintained that he had evidence to prove the allegation in court.
Atiku said he considered his age and health an advantage ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“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?” he said.
When challenged over the claim that Tinubu was not yet 90, Atiku responded, “I have evidence that he is, and I will present it in court.”
Reacting, Omokri shared a photograph purportedly showing Tinubu and Momodu together in London in 1996 and used it to question the age claim.
“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,” Omokri said.
He challenged Momodu, who is alive, to testify regarding the authenticity of the photograph, including when and where it was taken.
“Look at the photo yourself. I have not altered it in any way. Dele Momodu is alive to testify to the authenticity of this photograph and the date and place where it was taken,” he added.
Omokri then asked Nigerians to consider whether Tinubu appeared to be 60 years old in the photograph.
If Tinubu were 90 in 2026, Omokri argued, the President would have been 60 when the photograph was allegedly taken 30 years ago.
“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?” he asked.
He further challenged Nigerians to examine the photograph and form their own conclusions.
“If Asiwaju is indeed ninety years of age, then he would have been sixty when this photo was taken exactly thirty years ago,” he said.
Omokri also appealed directly to Momodu, recalling the publisher’s previous comments about Tinubu’s support for him during his exile from the regime of the late military ruler, Sani Abacha.
He acknowledged that Momodu was free to support any political candidate but questioned whether he should remain silent while someone he previously described as a friend and benefactor was being accused of being a nonagenarian suffering from ill health.
The ambassador-designate also criticised the focus on Tinubu’s age, urging political actors to concentrate on issues affecting Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election.
“Perhaps we can raise the bar for this election by raising issues germane to the Nigerian people and brainstorming ideas to resolve the challenges plaguing our polity,” he said.
He described attempts to portray political opponents as significantly older than their publicly stated ages as “age-shaming,” arguing that such exchanges lowered the quality of political debate.
Tinubu’s publicly stated date of birth is March 29, 1952, which puts his age at 74 in 2026. The President has previously faced questions and controversies surrounding his age and academic records but has consistently maintained his stated personal details.
Atiku Defends Presidential Ambition
Meanwhile, Atiku, who emerged as the ADC presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 election, defended his decision to seek the presidency, insisting that he remained physically capable of contesting.
“Why should you question me on my right? It is my constitutional right. I am strong, I am healthy, I am agile,” the former vice president said.
Atiku cited his experience, competence and patriotism among the reasons he believed he was qualified to lead Nigeria.
He also criticised the Tinubu administration over the country’s security situation, arguing that inadequate manpower and equipment had weakened Nigeria’s security architecture.
The ADC candidate promised that if elected president in 2027, his administration would significantly address insurgency and insecurity within its first year.
“I believe within one year they should be able to see that. And believe me, within one year, we can control this insurgency and insecurity that is all over the place,” Atiku said.
The exchange between Atiku and Omokri has added another contentious issue to the emerging political battle ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with questions surrounding Tinubu’s age now featuring prominently alongside debates over security, governance and economic policy.