An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Denge Josef Onoh, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to withhold security clearance for Reno Omokri, warning that granting it could endanger national security and interfere with an ongoing treasonable felony case.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Onoh cautioned
that approving Omokri, who is currently undergoing DSS vetting as an
ambassadorial nominee, would have “serious and unnecessary repercussions” for
both the agency and the nation.
He maintained that Omokri’s previous public accusations
against President Bola Tinubu were far more severe than those made by activist
Omoyele Sowore, who is facing prosecution on charges including treasonable
felony for repeatedly referring to the President as “a criminal.”
Onoh said Omokri went “significantly further” between 2022
and 2024 when he repeatedly described the President as “a drug baron” and
claimed to possess documentary evidence that he vowed to reveal in court.
He said granting the former presidential aide security
clearance would contradict the basis of the ongoing prosecution against Sowore
and strengthen arguments of selective justice.
“Clearing Omokri sends the message that calling the
President a ‘drug baron’ is compatible with high diplomatic office, while
someone who made a less detailed allegation is in court,” Onoh said.
He cautioned that approving the clearance could undermine
the DSS’s credibility and expose the country to diplomatic embarrassment,
noting that some foreign missions are reportedly uncomfortable with Omokri’s
nomination.
Referencing Section 172 of the Constitution which stipulates
that ambassadors must be individuals of proven integrity.
Onoh warned that granting clearance could result in host
countries rejecting Nigeria’s request for agrément and could attract negative
international media attention.
“To clear him is to hand him a platform to claim
vindication, collapse the treasonable felony case, and make Nigeria a laughing
stock on the diplomatic stage,” he said.
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