Former presidential media aide Reno Omokri has criticised veteran journalist and broadcaster Dr Reuben Abati, accusing him of political bias in his analysis of President Bola Tinubu’s recent comments on governance in Rivers state.
In a widely circulated video on Wednesday, March 19, Omokri responded to a segment aired on Arise Television, where Abati claimed that Tinubu was acting as a dictator by suggesting the Federal Executive Council (FEC) would make laws for Rivers state.
Reno Omokri clarifies Tinubu’s statement
Omokri refuted the claim, insisting that Abati had misrepresented the president’s statement.
“The President never said that,” Omokri asserted.
“If you listen to the broadcast by the President on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, he clearly stated that the new Administrator will not make any laws for Rivers state.
“However, he will be free to make regulations, and those regulations will be under the supervision of the Federal Executive Council and will be promulgated by the president. Listen to the president.
“The President did not say that the Administrator would make laws. What the President said clearly, again, is that the Administrator would make regulations under the supervision of the Federal Executive Council. Regulations, not laws,” Omokri stressed.
Omokri criticises Abati’s understanding of governance
Omokri also took aim at Abati’s grasp of governance and legal distinctions.
“Now, there’s a difference. And if a PhD holder does not know the difference between a regulation and a law, then it’s a sad reflection on Nigeria’s education sector,” he said.
He cautioned against misinformation, adding:
“I’m going to break it down for those who listened to Dr. Abati’s broadcast and will now start maybe agitating for the National Assembly to impeach the President.”
Concluding his remarks, Omokri urged Nigerian media outlets to distinguish between news reporting and personal opinions, stressing the need for clarity in public discourse.
Tinubu’s state of emergency in Rivers state
Recall that President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers state on Tuesday, March 18, a controversial decision that has raised concerns among many Nigerians.
Legit.ng reports that the president also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the state’s lawmakers for six months.
The Nigerian leader appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral, as the administrator of the oil-rich state during the time of Fubara’s suspension.
Rivers: AGF Fagbemi explains why Tinubu declared emergency
Against the backdrop of the developments in Rivers, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, on Wednesday, March 19, spoke to the press at a news conference in Abuja.
“The president came out boldly yesterday to say the situation cannot be allowed to continue, a situation in which the critical economic life of the nation, what is giving lifeline to the nation to be, you know, criminally touched without any response from those who would ordinarily be expected to do so, cannot continue,” the AGF said.
