Reno Omokri has shared a 1996 photograph of President Bola Tinubu and publisher Dele Momodu into the controversy over Tinubu’s age and asked whether the image is consistent with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that the President is 90.
Omokri, ambassador-designate to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, published the photograph on Friday and challenged Momodu to confirm its authenticity, as well as the date and location attached to it.
The intervention followed Atiku’s claim in a BBC interview that he was 90 and that he had evidence to support the assertion in court.
“I have a president who is 90 years old now, and who is sick, and I am healthy, I am strong,” Atiku said.
He added that he would present his evidence in court when required.
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Omokri’s response rests largely on the age that Tinubu would have been when the photograph was allegedly taken. If he were 90 in 2026, he would have been 60 in 1996.
“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?” Omokri asked.
He also questioned whether Tinubu appeared to be 50 in the image, while pointing to Momodu as a person who could independently establish whether the photograph was genuinely taken in London in 1996.
Omokri added another historical reference to his post. He claimed that the late Fuji musician Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, born on February 9, 1948, referred to Tinubu as his “Aburo”, a Yoruba term meaning younger brother, in a song in which him and Momodu were also seen dancing.
That reference, however, was presented by Omokri as part of his challenge rather than independent verification of Tinubu’s age.
His publicly stated date of birth is March 29, 1952, making him 74. Questions about his age and personal records have surfaced repeatedly in Nigerian politics, but the President has consistently maintained his stated details.
Omokri also criticised the use of age as a political weapon where he said the 2027 contest should focus on issues affecting Nigerians.
“Perhaps we can raise the bar for this election by raising issues germane to the Nigerian people,” he wrote.
Atiku, meanwhile, has defended his own capacity to contest the presidency, declaring himself “strong”, “healthy” and “agile”, while promising to tackle insecurity within one year if elected in 2027.
