Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide and strong supporter of President Bola Tinubu, has accused Labour Party chieftain and 2027 presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, of discouraging foreign investors through what he described as misleading claims about Nigeria's debt profile.
In a recent interview on Channels Television with Seun Okinbaloye, Omokri took a swipe at Obi over his comments that the Tinubu administration had borrowed more than the combined totals of the previous governments led by Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, and Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Omokri dismissed the claims as "blatant lies" and warned that such statements could undermine investor confidence.
"One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar'Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari. That is a blatant lie," Omokri said.
He argued that the false narrative being pushed by Obi could be catastrophic for the country's economy, alleging that some foreign investors are already contemplating exiting the Nigerian market as a result.
"Foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told," Omokri claimed.
Countering Obi's assertion, Omokri cited figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), asserting that President Tinubu has reduced the country's external debt burden since taking office.
"As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion," he stated.
Omokri further accused Obi of manipulating the debt figures by converting them into naira to exaggerate the debt increase under Tinubu's watch.
The development adds to the ongoing political tension between the figures, as the 2027 presidential race begins to take shape.
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