The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was noticeably absent at President Bola Tinubu’s 73rd birthday celebration at the Presidential Villa, sparking speculation about his whereabouts, News360 Nigeria reports.
Meanwhile, Lere Olayinka, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, has dismissed reports claiming that the minister collapsed in Abuja.
Social media posts, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), alleged that Wike slumped at an event on Friday and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital.
However, when contacted by Newsmen, Olayinka denied the claims, calling them “fake.”
Despite his absence from the event, Wike took to social media to extend birthday wishes to President Tinubu.
The rumor of his ill health surfaced amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, where Wike and his former ally, the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, remain locked in a fierce power struggle.
The situation worsened on Friday following new allegations against Fubara by the state’s former Head of Service, George Nwaeke.
