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Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Reno Omokri, has challenged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, made the claim during a BBC interview published on Friday, insisting that he had evidence to support it.
“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?” Atiku said.
When asked about the basis for the claim, the former vice-president replied, “I have evidence that he is, and I will present it in court.”
Reacting in a statement on Friday, Omokri questioned the allegation and referred to a photograph he said showed Tinubu with journalist and publisher Dele Momodu in London in 1996.
Omokri argued that if Tinubu were 90 in 2026, he would have been 60 when the photograph was allegedly taken.
“This is a photo of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dele Momodu taken in London in 1996,” Omokri said.
He challenged Momodu to confirm the authenticity of the photograph, as well as when and where it was taken.
“Dele Momodu is alive to testify to the authenticity of this photograph and the date and place where it was taken,” he said.
Omokri also questioned whether Tinubu appeared to be 60 years old in the image.
“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 asked Nigerians to examine the photograph and decide whether the person pictured with Momodu appeared to be 60 or even 50 years old at the time.
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The ambassador-designate also recalled Momodu’s previous accounts of Tinubu’s support for him while he was in exile during the military era.
Omokri said political differences should not prevent individuals from defending facts about people they had previously regarded as friends or benefactors.
He urged Momodu to speak on the photograph, while acknowledging that the journalist was free to support any political candidate of his choice.
Omokri further criticised what he described as attempts to “age-shame” political opponents, saying the 2027 campaign should focus on issues affecting Nigerians.
“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.
“But to age-shame people with ages that are not even theirs is to reduce the discussion about who governs Nigeria to an unbecoming level.”
Tinubu’s publicly stated date of birth is March 29, 1952, which makes him 74 in 2026.
Meanwhile, Atiku defended his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election, arguing that his age should not be used to question his ability to govern.
“Why should you question me on my right? It is my constitutional right. I am strong, I am healthy, I am agile,” he said.
The former vice-president also cited his experience and competence as reasons he believed he was qualified to lead Nigeria.
He further promised to tackle insecurity within his first year in office if elected, arguing that inadequate manpower and equipment had weakened Nigeria’s security architecture.
