By Aghogho Abraham Orotomah
Earlier this year, I wrote an open letter titled, “Breaking Nigeria’s Diplomatic Stalemate: Mr President Must Take Action Now” to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to appoint ambassadors to the country’s vacant foreign missions. As a result of the above, I was elated to learn that President Tinubu sent three names of nominees to the Senate a few days ago, with the promise to send more names. However, Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly that of the APC in Delta State and nationwide, has been shaken by President Bola Tinubu’s broader ambassadorial nominees, with many questioning the wisdom of rewarding individuals who were once vocal critics of his presidential bid and later his administration. After a long wait of over two years, among those nominated is former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan and a former staunch supporter of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Reno Omokri, who had previously used strong and insulting language to attack the president during the 2023 election campaigns.
Omokri, widely known to be a two-faced and double-standard individual, who has been nominated as Ambassador to a yet-to-be-determined country, with the slot of Delta State, had ridiculed and called President Tinubu a “drug kingpin” and a “certificate forger”, and accused President Tinubu, the then APC presidential candidate, of having mental decline among other unprintable names. In a series of tweets and posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook in 2022, Reno Omokri questioned Tinubu’s educational qualifications and alleged President Tinubu’s involvement in illicit activities. These tweets and posts were widely reported and sparked a heated online debate between members of the APC and the PDP at the time.
According to Sahara Reporters, Reno Omokri had tweeted: “Bola Tinubu is a drug kingpin, a certificate forger, and a fake leader. He has no moral authority to lead Nigeria.” Another tweet read: “Tinubu’s educational qualifications are fake, and he should be investigated.” These tweets have been widely shared on social media, and at that time sparked outrage among Tinubu’s supporters and members of the APC across Nigeria.
In another social media post, Omokri stated that “for the rest of his life, Tinubu will forever be associated with betrayal, selling out, Quislingism, lack of honour, unbridled personal ambition, shamelessness, low self-esteem, lacking personal hygiene, and greed on a scale never before seen.” In another tweet, Omokri went further to say “I challenge @officialABAT, if you were not involved in a heroin drug ring in the United States in 1999-1993, then take me to court. Nigeria cannot have a KNOWN DRUG LORD as her President, God forbid. I also challenge Tinubu to take a drug test with @NDLEA_Nigeria”.
In the midst of these insults, APC members from Delta and across the nation were slaving themselves in defending Mr. President. Now, one begins to wonder if the nomination of Omokri for the post of an ambassador by President Tinubu is a tacit confirmation of the wild allegations he levelled against him during and after the 2023 elections.
Despite these past attacks, Omokri is now poised to represent Nigeria on the global stage. This has raised concerns about the president’s priorities and treatment of those who supported and worked for him during the elections.
While Reno Omokri will be smiling to whichever country he will be posted to as an ambassador, dedicated and loyal members of the APC and supporters of the president have been abandoned and betrayed by the man they worked for. The former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; South-South Director of Mobilization of the Tinubu Campaign Organization, Olorogun Otega Emerhor; former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Oche; Member of Tinubu/APC Presidential Campaign Council and State Director of Media, Chief Ima Rume Niboro; Chief Michael Johnny; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godswill Orubebe; one of the founding fathers of the party in the state, Engr. Hyacinth Enuha, and other prominent Delta APC members who worked tirelessly for the success of Tinubu’s presidential bid are yet to receive any appointments. This has generated concerns about the president’s priorities and treatment of those who support him when he needs it the most.
Many disillusioned Delta APC members do not just see the
nomination of Omokri as a blatant disservice to the Delta state APC (because there are more qualified and active APC members in the state who have contributed in no small measure to the life of the party), but also see this as a strange kind of politics, and are fighting to understand why those who fought against them and the president’s victory during the elections are being rewarded, while those who stood firm for him are being ignored by Mr President and his handlers.
Critics of the president’s appointments argue that his approach prioritizes reconciliation with erstwhile political opponents over loyalty, and raises concerns about his judgment and leadership style. I must say that this is not the Tinubu we knew, supported, and worked for in the last election. He has always been a shrewd politician, but this is just bizarre and provocative.
Those defending the president’s wrong moves who argue that the appointments are a sign of his commitment to unity and reconciliation, and describe him as a leader who can put the country above personal differences, are sycophants who are currently benefiting in one way or the other from the government.
I strongly believe that for many Nigerians, the appointments have raised more questions than answers. What does this say about the president’s value system? Will this style or approach of Mr. President win him more support, or will it alienate his once loyal base in the state and across the country?
As we watch on with bated breath, one thing is clear: President Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominations have opened a new chapter in Nigerian politics, one that will be scrutinized and debated in the coming weeks, months, and probably years to come.
.Orotomah is a foundation member of the APC, Delta State Chapter.