Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has confirmed that he recommended Segun Showunmi to Reno Omokri for appointment as spokesperson to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 2018.

In a phone conversation with journalists, Metuh backed Omokri’s recent public statement, saying the account was accurate.

“Yes, Reno contacted me back then when I was still involved in politics,” he said. “He asked me to suggest someone who could handle the role of spokesperson for Atiku. I considered Deji Adeyanju initially, but he had already left the PDP at the time.”

Metuh said he then suggested Segun Showunmi. “I remembered Segun and recommended him. I told him to reach out to Reno, which he did,” he explained, adding that the matter was straightforward.

“There is absolutely no controversy about that.”

Metuh also questioned the relevance of any current disagreement between the two men, suggesting neither remains active in the PDP.

“I don’t think they are still in the PDP, so there’s no issue there,” he said.

The remarks follow Reno Omokri’s disclosure on The Honest Bunch podcast, where he stated that he was responsible for hiring Showunmi as Atiku’s spokesperson and even negotiated his salary.

Omokri, who served as a media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, later reiterated the claims in a Facebook post.

“In May 2018, Olisa Metuh recommended Segun Showunmi to me for the role,” he wrote. “Metuh asked him to send me his CV and told him to contact me for a job interview.”

He added that he conducted the interview from California and relayed the outcome to Atiku.

“After Showunmi was hired, he went back to thank Metuh for the recommendation,” Omokri said.

Omokri said he would prefer not to release documentary proof but warned he was prepared to do so if necessary.