Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has defended President Bola Tinubu amid renewed controversy over historical United States records linked to the President, arguing that an FBI record should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of criminality.
Omokri made the comments in a video posted on Tuesday while responding to claims by Nigerian-born US lobbyist Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, who has been calling for the release of FBI and other US government records relating to Tinubu.
The controversy centres on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) proceedings involving historical records connected to a 1993 investigation. Omokri maintained that the investigation was not initially targeted at Tinubu, who was then known as Senator Bola Tinubu, but involved other individuals before his name was mentioned during the process.
“There is no criminal record against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There’s nothing like that,” Omokri said.
He displayed what he described as an FBI letter transmitted through the US Embassy in Nigeria to former Inspector-General of Police Tafa Balogun following a request made in February 2003. According to Omokri, the document showed that a National Crime Information Centre check on then-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned negative results for criminal arrest records and warrants.
Omokri also rejected claims that the current FOIA proceedings represented a new criminal case against Tinubu in 2026. He explained that the matter followed a FOIA request filed by Aaron Greenspan, stressing that a request for government information was not itself a criminal proceeding.
The former presidential aide further argued that an FBI record could arise from routine background checks and other official processes, including US visa applications. He said the existence of such a record should therefore not be presented as proof that an individual has committed a crime.
“All of the candidates in this election have FBI records. All of them,” Omokri said, while drawing a distinction between an FBI record and a criminal record. He also claimed that other presidential candidates had records with US agencies, although he did not provide documentation in the material made public.
The debate has intensified amid competing claims over a Washington lobbying campaign seeking access to Tinubu-related US records. Presidential aide Sunday Dare has accused supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of engaging a US lobbying firm on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer, while the lobbyists have claimed that the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration hold 399 pages of records concerning Tinubu.
The FBI has opposed the release of some investigative materials in the FOIA case, citing concerns over the safety of confidential sources and law-enforcement personnel. The lobbyists have interpreted the FBI’s position as confirmation that sensitive records exist, while the presidency has rejected that interpretation and maintained that Tinubu does not face a criminal case in the United States.
Omokri urged journalists and members of the public to independently verify the claims surrounding the records, including the document he displayed. His intervention comes as the dispute over Tinubu’s historical US records becomes another flashpoint in the political contest ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
