A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joseph Onoh has called on the Senate to reject the nomination of a social commentator, Reno Omokri, as ambassador-designate.

Onoh indicated his displeasure when he submitted a protest letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the National Assembly on Monday, December 1.

According to him, the “antecedents, public statements and documented actions” constitute a threat to national interest and diplomatic integrity.

He noted that Omokri, who was a major critic of President Bola Tinubu before the 2023 general elections would “inflict irreversible damage on our nation and send the most dangerous signal to the world”.

Onoh accused Omokri of waging a “vicious and internationally publicised campaign of calumny” against Tinubu while serving in government and as a private citizen.

He said Omokri repeatedly labelled Tinubu a “drug lord” and “drug baron” and claimed to possess evidence linking the president to narcotics trafficking in the United States.

He said Omokri took part in protests abroad, accusing Tinubu of criminality and promoted what he called the “discredited ‘Mike Arnold’ forgery saga”.

According to him, the forged document was relied upon by advocacy groups which pushed for Nigeria’s re-designation as a country of particular concern by the US in 2021.

He said rewarding Omokri with an ambassadorial posting suggests that Nigeria endorses the narrative that its president is involved in drug crimes.

Onoh said the Senate must not confirm Omokri unless he “publicly presents the evidence he repeatedly claimed to possess” against Tinubu.

“If he fails or refuses to produce such evidence, his nomination must be rejected outright,” he said.

He warned that confirming Omokri would “validate the very lies that have been used to tarnish Nigeria’s image abroad”.