The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has debunked claims suggesting he is battling ill health.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin set to air on Saturday evening, Wike addressed the speculation about his wellbeing, insisting he is in good health and attributing the rumours to political detractors. According to him, “As I’m talking to you, do I look like somebody that is sick? Looking at me, will you think I’m above 30 years? I’m very well.”
When asked about discussions suggesting he is grooming his son for a future in politics, Wike responded candidly, “What’s wrong with that?”
Earlier in April, social media reports alleged that the FCT Minister collapsed during an event at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and was swiftly flown abroad for urgent medical care. However, just two days later, Wike appeared publicly when he joined other dignitaries at the Villa for a Sallah homage to President Bola Tinubu. During that outing, the former Rivers governor appeared cheerful and in high spirits, dispelling fears about his health.
Meanwhile, the former spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2019 presidential campaign, Umar Sani, has openly criticised Wike, accusing him of destabilizing the opposition party rather than using his influence to strengthen it.
In reaction to Wike’s recent media appearance on Monday, Sani stated that the Minister’s political path has been one marked by betrayal and personal ego. “In the ever-evolving theater of Nigerian politics, few figures are as polarizing and unpredictable as Chief Nyesom Wike. Once a formidable force within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Wike has transformed into one of its most destabilizing elements, wielding his influence not to build or reform but to undermine and dismantle.”
Sani went on to reflect on Wike’s political history, adding, “His political journey reads not as a tale of strategic brilliance but as a striking cautionary chronicle of betrayal, egotism, and unbridled opportunism.”
He further noted that “Wike’s disruptive influence on the PDP became glaringly evident in 2016 when he fiercely backed Senator Ali Modu Sheriff during a deeply divisive leadership battle, pushing the party to the brink of collapse.”
Sani also accused Wike of backing the appointments of Uche Secondus and Iyorchia Ayu as national chairmen of the PDP, only to later engineer their removal. “Wike often cloaks his political maneuvers in the rhetoric of justice and equity, but his actions betray a deeper fixation on personal ambition and dominance.”
He added, “He imposed Senator Iyorchia Ayu on the party as National Chairman, only to turn against him and engineer his ouster once their alliance soured and he discovered he was with Atiku which led to his defeat at the Presidential primaries in Abuja. His endorsement of Siminalayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State swiftly devolved into a bitter rivalry, showcasing Wike’s chronic inability to coexist even with his chosen allies.”
Sani concluded by predicting that Wike’s recent alignment with the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections would likely not end well for him. “This is not dissent in pursuit of reform; it is sabotage masquerading as strategy. As Wike aligns himself with the APC ahead of the 2027 elections, he will soon learn that history is ruthless to those who burn every bridge they cross. For the PDP and Nigerian democracy, he stands not as a statesman but as a glaring warning of the havoc unchecked ambition can wreak,” he warned.
