Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has admitted that an FBI investigation involving people connected to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took place, but maintained that the President was not the target of the probe.

Omokri, who spoke on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Sunday, said the controversy surrounding the US records had been driven by what he described as a misleading interpretation of Tinubu’s connection to funds that were subject to scrutiny by American authorities.

According to him, Tinubu was working as an accountant at the time and had held money belonging to clients who were themselves under investigation.

“There was an investigation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not the subject of that investigation,” Omokri said.

He explained that the funds in question were eventually forfeited after they were identified as suspicious, stressing that the action was against the accounts and not Tinubu personally.

“The President was an accountant, and then the President had client funds. Those persons had been indicted by the FBI, and as a result of that, it said that certain funds… are suspicious funds,” he said.

“And then when it was brought to the attention of the President, the President agreed for a forfeiture. Now, it was to the accounts, not the President.”

Omokri also cited a 2003 FBI document which he said contained the outcome of checks conducted on Tinubu, claiming that the record showed no criminal arrest record or outstanding warrant against him.

He, however, acknowledged that the existence of an FBI investigation could not be disputed, maintaining that Tinubu was not the person being investigated.

“There was an investigation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not the subject of that investigation,” he reiterated.

The ambassador-designate declined to disclose the identities of those investigated, saying he was unwilling to expose their families to unnecessary consequences.

The development comes amid renewed debate over US records connected to a 1990s investigation and ongoing legal proceedings seeking access to documents held by American law-enforcement agencies.

The dispute includes 399 pages of records identified in the Freedom of Information Act proceedings, with some documents reportedly redacted or withheld.

Omokri declined to comment on the contents of the documents, citing the pending court case.

He also argued against releasing potentially sensitive information contained in the records, saying such material could include biometric,  and financial details.

According to him, the release of such information could provide political opponents with material that might be misused against the President.

“You don’t want those records in the hands of your enemies,” he said.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, on Saturday said the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, is overhyped and overrated.

Mr Onanuga also described the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate as clueless.

Onanuga made the remarks in a post on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, adding that Obi, who governed Anambra State for eight years, was a failure.

He wrote: “Peter Obi is simply overhyped and overrated. The guy is clueless. As Anambra governor, he was a spectacular failure.

“Now gunning for a higher office, his supporters think he can perform a miracle. How? Governance is not by magic.

“A wannabe national leader must have a governance pedigree, which Peter lacks. He changes his positions like a chameleon, and his worldview is dictated by his mob on social media.”

Obi is challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor,  Nasir El-Rufai, who has now spent 200 days in custody as of Friday, September 4.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said the former governor was not seeking immunity from investigation but was entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.

Ibe described El-Rufai as a political prisoner held because he chose a different political path, as permitted by the constitution.

He contrasted the situation with that of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who faces ongoing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecution yet remains politically active and has secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket for Kogi Central.

“Nobody should be above the law. But neither should the law become a political weapon,” Ibe stated.

He claimed that police, the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other state institutions, including elements of the judiciary, had become instruments of pressure against opposition figures ahead of the 2027 elections.

Ibe urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to campaign on its record of economic challenges, including hunger, inflation, high fuel and electricity prices and the high cost of living, rather than what he called the use of state power against opponents.

He argued that a confident government should not fear a strong opposition and that the opposition should be defeated by voters, not detained, intimidated or subjected to endless litigation.

“Democracy is not simply about holding elections. It is about ensuring that those elections are genuinely free and competitive,” Ibe observed.

“Today, it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow, it could be anyone. If state power is used to clear the political field before Nigerians get to vote, then the greatest casualty will not be the opposition. It will be Nigerian democracy. 2027 must be decided by THE PEOPLE—not by the machinery of government.”

El-Rufai has been in detention since mid-February 2026 voluntarily reported to the EFCC on February 16 over allegations linked to a Kaduna State House of Assembly report on financial mismanagement during his tenure.

He was later transferred to ICPC custody.

He also faces separate charges from the Department of State Services related to alleged unlawful interception of communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu