Reno Omokri, former media aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has issued a comprehensive rebuttal to Peter Obi’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s condolence visit to Benue State following the tragic Yelewata massacre.
Omokri condemned Obi’s complaint that Tinubu wore a celebratory agbada instead of black mourning clothes, describing it as a clear sign of Obi’s ignorance about Islamic traditions. He explained that President Tinubu, a Muslim, adhered to Islamic customs which forbid wearing black during mourning events and instead prescribe white attire, citing a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) narrated by Ibn Abbas: “Wear white clothes, for they are the best of your clothes, and shroud your dead in them.” Omokri emphasized that the expectation for black mourning clothes is a European cultural practice, not rooted in either Islam or Christianity. He stated, “Is Peter Obi aware that President Tinubu is a Muslim and that in Islam, it is not Sunnah to wear black when anyone dies?”
The former presidential aide accused Obi of cultural insensitivity and narrow-mindedness, arguing that Obi selfishly imposes his own Christian, particularly Roman Catholic, cultural norms on Nigeria’s diverse religious landscape. He recalled Obi’s controversial 2022 campaign act of donating prayer mats with his images to mosques as evidence of his disregard for other faiths, saying, “Mr. Obi does not attempt to understand Islam, even when Islam is the dominant religion in Northern Nigeria and parts of the Southwest.” Omokri further highlighted Obi’s failure to appreciate the religious plurality of Nigeria, especially Islam’s dominance in Northern Nigeria and parts of the Southwest.
Addressing Obi’s broader criticisms of Tinubu’s response to the Benue killings, Omokri dismissed Obi’s focus on attire as a distraction from the real issues. He pointed out that Obi’s earlier criticisms of the president’s delayed visit and response to the tragedy, while noted, do not justify cultural ignorance or disrespect. Obi had previously condemned Tinubu for the perceived slow response to the killings and urged more urgent, compassionate leadership, also calling for attention to Niger State flood victims. Obi had said, “The President arrived not in mourning cloth but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy.”
Omokri warned that Obi’s tribalistic and religiously narrow worldview makes him unsuitable for Nigeria’s presidency. He urged Obi to respect Nigeria’s cultural and religious diversity instead of demanding conformity to his own beliefs. Omokri stated, “That was why I and others have repeatedly said Peter Obi lacks the broad-mindedness to be Nigeria’s President. The fellow is too selfish to think beyond his narrow political, cultural, and religious beliefs.” He concluded by reminding Nigerians of Obi’s past inflammatory remarks, including a leaked audio where Obi allegedly threatened religious conflict, underscoring the seriousness of his latest cultural insensitivity: “Finally, I urge the Muslim Ummah to remember that this is a man who was caught on a leaked audio threatening ‘religious war’ against them. And this latest criticism shows he is dead serious about that threat!”
This reaction by Omokri adds a new dimension to the ongoing debate over leadership, cultural respect, and national unity in Nigeria amid tragic events that demand empathy and understanding across religious and ethnic divides.