A former mayor of Blanco City in Texas, United States, Mike Arnold, has accused former presidential aide Reno Omokri of manipulation and inconsistency, alleging that he takes contradictory positions on national and religious issues.
Arnold made the allegation after his recent visit to Nigeria, faulting Omokri’s changing stance on the alleged Christian genocide in the northern part of the country.
He said the shift in Omokri’s position reflected a lack of integrity and credibility.
“Reno clearly just says whatever he is paid to say. He obviously has zero integrity. If he could go from one administration yelling and trying to get the world’s attention to the Christian genocide in the North, and then in the next administration, he calls it a hoax, I don’t think anybody should ever take that man seriously.
He didn’t refute his previous claims; he just ignored them as if he never said that. Clearly, he is just a prostitute of rhetoric,” Arnold said.
The former mayor further alleged that Omokri used their friendship for publicity purposes, claiming that he was cultivated as a “PR asset” rather than as a genuine ally.
“There is a higher standard for a friend. I knew from the beginning he was cultivating me as a PR asset. He never was concerned about what I cared about. He was cultivating me so that he could quote me as a prominent mayor. I felt God was leading me and that I had a date with destiny, but he is a manipulator, and that is what he does for a living,” he added.
Recounting how their friendship began, Arnold said it started in December 2023 after he reached out to Omokri through his website, having read one of his books on former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
According to him, Omokri promptly responded via WhatsApp, leading to a video call where he (Arnold) discussed his research on internally displaced persons and efforts to raise global awareness about alleged religious violence in Nigeria.
He said during that first conversation, Omokri invited him to Kenya for his birthday celebration, promising that Jonathan and other top figures would be in attendance.
“That was a lie. Goodluck Jonathan was not there. He offered to pay my way but ended up paying only half of the airfare,” Arnold stated.
He also reacted to the viral image of him presenting a “key to the city” to Omokri, describing it as a symbolic gift rather than an official act by the Blanco City government.
“That was a souvenir key from a gift shop. It doesn’t have anything to do with the city; it was not official. The position of mayor is voluntary, and my town is a very small one. That was not an official act as a mayor; that was me as a birthday guest presenting a gift. You can order one tomorrow. Nothing is official or legal about the presentation of the cheap key,” he said.
In a video shared by Omokri on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on January 22, 2024, Arnold was seen presenting the symbolic key at the birthday event, saying, “In your contribution to humanity, making the world a better place, it is my profound honour to give you a key to the City of Blanco as the mayor of the city. You have friends in Texas. You now own Texas.”
Those in attendance included former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke, ex-senator Ben Murray-Bruce, gospel singer Bishop Pana Paul, Nollywood actor Wale Ojo, and other close friends and relatives of Omokri.
Arnold said his long-standing research interest in Nigeria, which began in 2010, was driven by his desire to expose what he described as “systematic attacks against Christians” in parts of the North.
The renewed controversy over the alleged Christian genocide has once again stirred debate about whether the violence in parts of the country is faith-based or largely driven by terrorism and communal conflicts.
Omokri, who previously led campaigns highlighting religious killings, has in recent years dismissed such claims as exaggerated and politically motivated.
While international Christian groups and human rights organisations insist that the violence fits the description of genocide, others maintain that it is rooted in broader insecurity rather than religion.
When contacted by Saturday PUNCH via WhatsApp for his reaction, Omokri declined to comment.
As of the time of filing this report, he had not issued any public statement on the allegations.