Reno Omokri | File Image
By Valentine Obienyem
Reno Omokri, once known for his sharp tongue and seeming ideological certainty, now presents a portrait of astonishing political elasticity.
Today, he champions President Bola Tinubu, with evangelical zeal, but not long ago, he denounced him with equal intensity.
This transformation, far from suggesting growth or maturity, exposes a man whose principles bend easily under the weight of ambition.
Omokri’s earlier statements about Tinubu were not vague or ambiguous.
He labelled him a “drug lord,” backed his claims with what he said were court documents from Chicago, and even led street protests in London to oppose his leadership.
The air was thick with moral outrage. He called for urine and hair samples to substantiate drug allegations.
In those moments, Omokri was no mere critic; he was a crusader, fighting what he believed to be corruption incarnate.
When Tinubu floated the idea of an eight-year presidency with a chosen successor, Reno’s indignation boiled over.
Also read: Why Reno Omokri should not be taken serious
“Is Tinubu God?” he thundered. He saw the move as autocratic and delusional, the posture of a man presuming on immortality. This was not political sparring – it was outright condemnation.
With Tinubu in power, Reno’s fervour found a new direction. Today, he exudes loyalty so intense it verges on parody.
He speaks of Tinubu’s leadership with the adoration of a supplicant seeking reward. That shift – from street protester to palace herald – is no coincidence.
It is a studied, strategic recalibration aimed at relevance, perhaps even appointment.
What happened to the man who once stood, arms folded, daring Tinubu to take him to court? Who thundered against drug-linked politics with righteous rage?
The answer lies not in ideology, but in ambition. Reno Omokri has become a master of the political volte-face, a practitioner of the fine art of ingratiation.
To understand him, we must turn to the past – to Alcibiades, the Athenian chameleon immortalised by Plutarch.
Alcibiades charmed, flattered, betrayed, and rebranded himself as circumstances demanded. He adapted to every company: austere among Spartans, indulgent among Ionians.
“He could be whatever he chose to be,” Plutarch wrote, “and he was never himself, except when he was alone.” Reno walks in his shadow.
Today, we see him immersed in extravagant defences of Tinubu’s government, applauding where once he protested.
His attacks on perceived dissenters are not born of ideological conviction, but of tactical necessity.
The goal is attention, proximity to power, and ultimately, influence.
In this calculated pursuit, Reno often abandons reason. He recently criticised a suggestion that the president visit various states to observe citizens’ conditions firsthand – a commonsense proposal any responsible leader should embrace.
Yet Reno saw in it not a patriotic appeal, but a threat to his chosen hero, and so dismissed it entirely.
He goes further. He scoffs at calls for poverty alleviation policies – programmes fundamental to national development.
Instead of advocating solutions for Nigeria’s growing economic hardship, he trivialises them, suggesting such initiatives are unworthy of discussion.
In doing so, he distances himself from the real struggles of the people.
Reno’s attempt to parade economic “achievements” borders on the surreal. He celebrates fuel availability in a nation where the majority cannot afford to buy it.
Filling stations are empty, not due to abundance, but due to unaffordability. What good is fuel on the market if it lies beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians?
He applauds foreign investments even as existing businesses close shop, overwhelmed by hostile operating conditions.
Reno’s trajectory offers a sobering reflection on modern political discourse. Here is a man whose once-fiery rhetoric has been replaced by relentless praise, whose principles yield to the pull of personal advancement.
His evolution is not one of ideological refinement, but of calculated self-reinvention.
If he succeeds in his quest for favour, it will not be on account of merit, intellect, or service. It will be because he has mastered the ignoble art of self-promotion through sycophancy.
The true tragedy lies not merely in his transformation, but in what it says about a political environment that rewards such behaviour.
In Reno Omokri, we see the full flowering of ambition unchecked by principle – a reminder that in politics, as in history, the most dangerous men are often those who stand for nothing but themselves.
.Obienyem, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos.
day, lamented his disbelieve in a statement on Monday:
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