An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Denge Josef Onoh, has formally appealed to the Department of State Services (DSS) to withhold the necessary security clearance for Reno Omokri’s ambassadorial nomination.
Onoh warned that granting clearance could endanger national security and potentially compromise an ongoing treasonable felony case.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the 3rd of December, 2025, Onoh asserted that approving Omokri, who is currently undergoing vetting by the DSS, would lead to “serious and unnecessary repercussions” for both the security agency and the Nigerian state.
Onoh argued that Omokri’s past public accusations against President Bola Tinubu were far graver than those made by activist Omoyele Sowore, who is currently facing prosecution on charges including treasonable felony for repeatedly labeling the President as “a criminal.”
The chieftain claimed that Omokri went “significantly further” between 2022 and 2024 when he repeatedly described the President as “a drug baron” and claimed to possess documentary evidence he promised to reveal in court.
Onoh maintained that granting the former presidential aide security clearance would effectively contradict the basis of the ongoing prosecution against Sowore, thereby strengthening accusations of selective justice.
He stated: “Clearing Omokri sends the message that calling the President a ‘drug baron’ is compatible with high diplomatic office, while someone who made a less detailed allegation is in court,” Onoh said.
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Referencing Section 172 of the Constitution, which requires ambassadors to be individuals of proven integrity, Onoh cautioned that approving the clearance could damage the DSS’s credibility and expose Nigeria to significant diplomatic embarrassment. He noted reports suggesting some foreign missions are already uncomfortable with Omokri’s nomination.
Onoh warned that clearance could result in host countries rejecting Nigeria’s request for agrément and attract negative international media attention.
He concluded with a dire warning about the consequences of approval: “To clear him is to hand him a platform to claim vindication, collapse the treasonable felony case, and make Nigeria a laughing stock on the diplomatic stage,” he said.