Reno Omokri’s Obsession With Peter Obi Is An Embarrassment To Public Discourse -By Isaac Asabor

If there is any recurring circus act in Nigeria’s political commentary space today, it is Reno Omokri’s relentless, tasteless, and frankly exhausting obsession with Mr. Peter Obi. It is not only petty and unbecoming of someone who once held a sensitive role in government but has also now reduced him to an online heckler with a compulsive need to poke at a man who has clearly moved on to focus on national relevance.

A quick scroll through Reno’s social media pages reveals what many Nigerians have already pointed out with growing irritation: that Peter Obi lives rent-free in his head. Day in, day out, Reno picks on Obi with the zeal of a jilted lover, grasping at straws to discredit him, magnify trivial matters, or spin inconsequential events into political controversies. The recent episode surrounding Obi’s visit to the Vatican is just another entry in Reno’s ever-growing catalogue of ridicule.

Initially, Reno falsely claimed Peter Obi was absent from the Vatican where President Tinubu had an audience with the Pope. He went on and on about it, forming narratives to suggest Obi was either excluded, sidelined, or irrelevant. But when Obi surfaced in photos clearly taken inside Vatican City, did Reno apologize or simply move on like a decent man would? No. Instead, he doubled down, grasping for a new angle to either discredit the visit or mock it. The contradiction is galling.

Even his followers have had enough. The barrage of comments flooding his posts in recent days reads like a citizen’s revolt. Nigerians are calling him out for hypocrisy, for double standards, for clout chasing, and for generally displaying the pettiness of a man whose politics is driven more by bile than by vision. And they are right.

Take these reactions: “Seems the only thing Reno thinks about in his life is Peter Obi, I wonder what kind of obsession is this.”“Reno, please let this guy beeeeee.” “You said Obi wasn’t seen, now he is seen, and you still find something to talk about? Are you okay?” “This man rest nahhh.” “You’re a double standard man.” “Let your acclaimed alpha and omega demolish your father’s house and give you a new one.” For the sake of clarity, the foregoing comments trailed a post he made on Facebook, which conveyed the photo used in illustrating this piece.

These are not comments from paid trolls or bots. These are everyday Nigerians, his own followers, who have become weary of a man who once spoke sense but now sounds like a broken record playing the same anti-Obi tune every day. If democracy requires dialogue and criticism, it also demands balance, fairness, and a degree of maturity.

The question must be asked: What exactly does Reno want from Peter Obi? A public apology for contesting in 2023? A political retirement? Or perhaps an invitation to dinner to soothe whatever bruised ego he nurses? Because clearly, this is no longer about politics or national discourse, it is personal.

There was a time when Reno Omokri had the ears of many Nigerians. He branded himself as a human rights advocate, Christian moralist, and social commentator with insights worth pondering. Today, however, his brand has withered into little more than a gossip blog for anti-Obi propaganda. It is tragic to see a man who once walked the corridors of power reduced to a social media pest, desperate for retweets.

Peter Obi, for his part, has largely chosen the path of silence. While Reno tweets, Obi builds. While Reno throws shade, Obi tours Nigeria and engages with critical sectors. While Reno heckles, Obi speaks to the hearts of Nigerians who are tired of the old order and are looking for a glimmer of hope. This silence, this restraint, this maturity, is precisely why Reno’s words ring hollow.

What is even more galling is that Reno forgets so easily. Not long ago, it was President Tinubu who bore the brunt of his social media attacks. The same Tinubu whom Reno branded as corrupt, medically unfit, and morally bankrupt is now being whitewashed in his posts simply because attacking Obi takes precedence. How does a man flip so completely without a shred of shame? How does a former presidential aide become this inconsistent in his politics?

Let it be said clearly: criticizing a public figure is fair game. No politician is above scrutiny, including Peter Obi. But when critique becomes vendetta, when commentary becomes obsession, it stops being journalism or activism and starts becoming a personal crusade. And that is precisely what Reno Omokri has reduced himself to.

Nigeria is in crisis. Hunger walks the streets in broad daylight. The naira is in free fall. Corruption is back in full regalia. Unemployment is suffocating millions. These are the issues that deserve the loudest voices. But where is Reno on these matters? Silent. Mute. Suddenly disinterested. He is too busy watching Peter Obi’s every move like a stalker in a bad thriller.

To compound the shame, his audience is now turning on him. The comments under his posts, some laced with comic relief, others with biting truths, are a damning verdict on what he has become. Nigerians are not fools. They know when someone is speaking truth to power and when someone is licking boots for political favour.

Let us not forget that Reno is currently not in Nigeria. He tweets from the comfort of developed societies where the systems work, the economy is stable, and leadership is functional. Yet, he lectures Nigerians on who to support and what constitutes leadership, while the people endure inflation, power outages, and insecurity. If he truly wants to help, let him return and walk the streets of Ajegunle, Aba, or Kano. Let him feel what the average Nigerian feels before he hurls stones from his foreign glass house.

There is an Africanproverb that says: “When a child falls, he looks ahead; when an elder falls, he looks behind to know what caused it”. Reno, as an elder, ought to reflect on the damage he is doing to his reputation and legacy. His descent into online trolling will not age well.

The people who flock to Peter Obi’s message are not doing so because he is a saint. They do so because he represents something different. Something hopeful. Something practical. Reno may not like it, but the truth remains that Obi is one of the few politicians today who can walk into any Nigerian market without needing a phalanx of security men. That kind of connection cannot be manufactured. It is earned.

So, to Reno Omokri, here is some unsolicited but sincere advice: Let the man breathe. Find new material. Rediscover your voice. And most importantly, return to decency. Because right now, you are not winning any debate. You are merely embarrassing yourself.