Omokri Challenges Atiku’s Tinubu 90-Year-Old Claim With 1996 Photo

Reno Omokri, Ambassador-designate of Nigeria to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old.

Omokri, in a statement on Friday, also challenged journalist and publisher Dele Momodu to authenticate a photograph purportedly taken with Tinubu in London in 1996.

His reaction followed an interview granted by Atiku to the BBC, in which the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate claimed that Tinubu was 90 years old and said he had evidence to support the allegation in court.

Atiku said he considered himself physically fit and capable of serving as president, arguing that his health and experience made him qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election.

When the interviewer challenged his claim about Tinubu’s age, Atiku maintained that he had evidence and would present it in court.

Reacting, Omokri shared a photograph purportedly showing Tinubu and Momodu together in London in 1996. He argued that the image raised questions about the claim that Tinubu was 90 years old.

Omokri said that if Tinubu were 90 in 2026, he would have been 60 when the photograph was allegedly taken 30 years earlier.

He therefore asked Nigerians to examine the photograph and determine whether Tinubu appeared to be 60 years old at the time.

Omokri also urged Momodu, who he said was alive and could testify to the authenticity of the photograph, to confirm when and where the image was taken.

He recalled Momodu’s previous statements about Tinubu’s support for him during his exile from the government of the late military ruler, Sani Abacha.

Omokri argued that political campaigns should focus on issues affecting Nigerians rather than what he described as attempts to “age-shame” political opponents.

He urged politicians to raise substantive issues and present solutions to the country’s economic, security and governance challenges.

Tinubu’s publicly stated date of birth is March 29, 1952, which puts his age at 74 in 2026. Questions and controversies surrounding his age and academic records have previously featured in Nigeria’s political discourse.

Meanwhile, Atiku said he remained strong, healthy and capable of contesting the presidency, describing his bid as a constitutional right.

The former vice president also criticised the Federal Government over insecurity, arguing that inadequate manpower and equipment had weakened Nigeria’s security architecture.

He promised that, if elected in 2027, his administration would tackle insurgency and insecurity within its first year.

Atiku said his experience, competence and patriotism were among the reasons he believed he was qualified to lead Nigeria.