Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has firmly dismissed accusations from veteran journalist and politician Dele Momodu that President Bola Tinubu is “killing democracy” in Nigeria.
In a detailed rebuttal to Momodu’s remarks during a recent interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Omokri countered that the claims lacked substantial evidence and were influenced by political bias.
Momodu had expressed concern that Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, which involved suspending the governor and state assembly, threatened Nigeria’s democratic principles.
Referring to Momodu’s plea, “Please don’t kill democracy in Nigeria,” Omokri rejected the statement, describing it as emotionally driven and politically motivated, rather than a reasoned critique.
According to Omokri, Momodu’s criticism appeared selective, given his ties to opposition parties.
He pointed out that the veteran journalist had been silent on a series of violent incidents in Rivers State, such as the bombing of the state House of Assembly on October 29, 2023, Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s declaration on May 8, 2024, that the state assembly no longer existed, and the bombing of an anti-Fubara protest on June 25, 2024.
Omokri argued that it was only when President Tinubu intervened to restore order that Momodu voiced concerns about democracy, a stance he described as politically motivated rather than statesmanlike.
Read Also: Dele Momodu slams Tinubu’s state of emergency declaration in Rivers
Turning to Tinubu’s economic record, Omokri also took issue with Momodu’s critiques of the president’s handling of the economy. He presented a series of positive economic indicators to counter the negative portrayal.
Among the highlights were a drop in inflation from 34.80% to 24.48% in February 2025, a record 6,003MW of power generation, a significant increase in federal allocations to states, and a remarkable 209.6% rise in Nigeria’s trade surplus to ₦18.86 trillion in 2024.
Omokri further emphasized that terrorism-related deaths were at their lowest levels since 2014, Nigeria’s GDP grew by 3.8% in 2024, and the personal wealth of prominent Nigerian billionaires like Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola had surged by over 25%, according to Forbes.
“Based on these statistics, which are devoid of emotions, I challenge your claims as alarmist and a misrepresentation of the true state of Nigeria and our democracy,” Omokri concluded, offering a direct rebuttal to Momodu’s allegations.
