By Our Correspondent
Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has explained why activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore cannot rely on his past remarks in which he described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a drug lord, stating that those comments have since been withdrawn and no longer represent the truth.
Omokri’s explanation follows the presentation of old video clips during Sowore’s ongoing cybercrime trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The clips, which resurfaced during cross-examination, showed Omokri making the allegation against Tinubu at a time when he was still a presidential candidate.
According to Omokri, although he made the remarks in the past, he later discovered that the information he relied upon was inaccurate. As a result, he said he publicly and unequivocally retracted the statements through several written and video messages released across multiple platforms, making it clear that he no longer stood by the claim.
He further explained that his retraction was followed by a personal apology to President Tinubu, during which he reaffirmed that the president has never been a drug lord. Omokri stated that his current position is based on verifiable facts and a better understanding of the issues surrounding the long-running allegations.
From a legal perspective, Omokri argued that Sowore cannot depend on a statement that has been formally withdrawn to support his defence. He maintained that under established principles of evidence, a statement that the original speaker has rejected cannot be used as proof of its truth in another person’s case.
Omokri added that relying on such statements would amount to promoting allegations that even the original author no longer believes to be true. He said he is only prepared to defend his present position under oath and stressed the importance of acknowledging when past claims were made in error.
In conclusion, Omokri said Sowore’s attempt to rely on the withdrawn remarks is both legally and logically flawed, as the statements no longer stand. He reaffirmed his view that President Tinubu is of good character and called for public discourse to be guided by facts rather than recycled allegations.
