Ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has dismissed claims that he categorically ruled out working with President Bola Tinubu's administration, saying his earlier comments were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
Omokri made the clarification on Wednesday during an interview on Channels TV's current affairs programme, 'Politics Today', following public backlash over his nomination as an ambassador by President Tinubu, despite previous anti-Tinubu remarks.
Responding to questions about an April 2023 interview in which he appeared to reject any role under Tinubu, Omokri said he never stated that he would refuse all forms of national service.
"That's not what I said. I said that if asked to work with him, it is not in my DNA. That's the word I used," Omokri said.
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Pressed on whether his position had since changed, he insisted his core principles remained intact.
"My DNA has not changed. I'm not eating my words," he said.
Omokri explained that his recent engagements with officials of the Tinubu administration involved clear boundaries about roles he could and could not accept, based on his past public positions.
"When I met with administration officials, I explained to them. I said, this is what I said. I cannot take certain positions because of the things that I said and the positions I have held," he stated.
However, he stressed that his refusal applied only to certain political or executive roles, not to serving Nigeria in a diplomatic capacity.
"I never said that I cannot work for Nigeria as an ambassador. I am working for Nigeria. I'm going to be an ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," Omokri said.
When asked whether the ambassadorial appointment was an exception to his earlier philosophy, Omokri declined to disclose details of his discussions with government officials but maintained that the distinction was deliberate.
"I said, look, I cannot do this, I cannot do that because of what I had said. However, I can do this because I will be working for Nigeria," he explained.
Omokri also revealed a shift in his assessment of President Tinubu's leadership since the conclusion of the 2023 election disputes.
"My position on the president has changed. I believe he is the best thing for Nigeria," he said.
His comments come amid renewed scrutiny of a past remarks in which he appeared to firmly reject any association with Tinubu's administration prior to the president's inauguration.
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LEADERSHIP recalls that Omokri's ambassadorial nomination, which was announced in late 2025, generated debate among political observers and critics, particularly over issues of political consistency and public accountability.
