Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu amid renewed controversy over decades-old United States records linked to the President, arguing that an FBI record should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of criminality.
Omokri made the remarks in a video posted on Tuesday while responding to claims by Nigerian-born US lobbyist Karl-Marx Edward Okeke-Von Batten, who has been seeking the release of FBI and other US government records relating to Tinubu.
The controversy centres on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) proceedings in the United States involving historical records connected to a 1993 investigation.
Omokri maintained that the investigation was not originally targeted at Tinubu, who was then known as Senator Bola Tinubu, but involved other individuals before his name allegedly emerged in the course of the inquiry.
“There is no criminal record against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There’s nothing like that,” Omokri said.
He displayed what he described as a letter from the FBI, transmitted through the US Embassy in Nigeria, to the then Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, following a request dated February 3, 2003.
According to Omokri, the document indicated that an FBI National Crime Information Centre check on then-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned negative results for criminal arrest records and warrants. He said the document also contained Tinubu’s date of birth as March 29, 1952.
Omokri stressed that the 2003 document should not be confused with the ongoing FOIA proceedings.
“A bunch of people were saying, well, how can I bring a 2003 letter for a 2026 case? There is no 2026 case. There’s none,” he said.
He explained that the current matter arose from a FOIA request filed by Aaron Greenspan, noting that a FOIA request was a legal mechanism for seeking access to government records and was not, in itself, a criminal case.
“What happened is that a gentleman by the name of Aaron Greenspan filed a FOIA request. A FOIA request, for those who don’t know, is just Freedom of Information Act,” he said.
‘FBI record is not criminal record’
Omokri also sought to distinguish between an FBI record and a criminal record, arguing that the existence of an FBI record did not necessarily mean that an individual had committed a crime.
“All of the candidates in this election have FBI records. All of them,” he said.
“A record is just that, a record. There’s a difference between a record and a criminal record.”
He argued that FBI records could arise from routine background checks and other official processes, including those associated with US visa applications.
“The FBI has a mandate that if anybody applies for an American visa, if anybody applies for background checks in the United States, you have an FBI record,” Omokri said.
He urged journalists and members of the public to independently verify his claims rather than relying solely on political arguments.
“Don’t assume I’m lying. Fact check me,” he said.
Omokri further claimed that another presidential candidate had an FBI record exceeding the 399 pages reportedly identified in connection with Tinubu. He did not name the candidate.
He also alleged that the unnamed candidate had a record arising from a US Senate committee investigation.
On Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, Omokri made further allegations concerning what he described as records involving an international agency and an indictment relating to money laundering and tax evasion.
However, he stressed that an indictment did not, by itself, amount to a criminal conviction or criminal record.
“Even at that, it is still not a criminal record,” he said.
“So an indictment is an advice to a law enforcement body to prosecute. If they choose to prosecute and then you are convicted, then you have a criminal record.”
Lobbying campaign fuels controversy
Omokri’s comments come amid an escalating political dispute over efforts to obtain and interpret historical US records concerning Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Presidential aide Sunday Dare has accused Atiku Abubakar of engaging Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. on a $1.2 million, 12-month retainer, citing filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Dare described the lobbying campaign as an attempt to present political claims as classified intelligence and argued that statements by the lobbying firm did not represent the position of the US government or President Donald Trump.
He challenged the lobbyists to produce the alleged “highly classified intelligence report”, identify their sources and provide documentary evidence for their claims.
The lobbying firm has claimed that the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration hold 399 pages of records relating to Tinubu and has questioned his alleged connection to a reported heroin-trafficking organisation.
The claims followed an FBI court filing in a FOIA case before Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The FBI has argued that releasing investigative records could expose informants and agents to risks, including possible violence, if their identities or sensitive information were made public.
The lobbyists, however, have interpreted the FBI’s position differently, arguing that the filing effectively confirms the existence of sensitive records concerning Tinubu.
They have also pointed to Tinubu’s intervention in the FOIA case, which began in 2023, and alleged that his legal intervention contributed to efforts to prevent the release of some records.
The presidency has rejected that interpretation and maintained that there is no pending criminal case against Tinubu in the United States.
‘Check with US Embassy’
Omokri urged Nigerian journalists to independently verify the authenticity and contents of the FBI document he displayed.
He also encouraged journalists to contact US authorities rather than dismissing his claims without verification.
“Go to the American Embassy. There is no criminal FBI record against the president,” he said.
He reiterated that the existence of an FBI record should not automatically be taken as proof that the person concerned had committed a crime.
Omokri’s intervention adds another layer to the growing dispute over Tinubu’s historical US records, as political arguments surrounding the 2027 presidential election increasingly focus on FOIA disclosures, foreign lobbying and the interpretation of US law-enforcement records.
However, he also questioned why the President would not want all the records released, while making clear his own support for Tinubu.
“The question then becomes, okay, why does the president not want these records out?” he asked.
