Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed rumours of ill health and collapse, even as he laid out strict conditions for any genuine reconciliation with his estranged political protégé and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Speaking at the platinum jubilee celebration of Hon. Ken Chikere in Port Harcourt on Friday, Wike warned that peace in Rivers State must be rooted in sincerity and broad political inclusion — not used as a political smokescreen.
“We are men of peace, not of trouble,” Wike said. “But it must be peace with sincerity, not peace as a decoy. All political actors — members of the State Assembly, the National Assembly, and the two major parties — must be involved.”
In a veiled attack on Fubara’s camp and some traditional leaders, Wike criticised the silence of supposed elder statesmen amid the ongoing crisis, accusing them of doing little to truly foster peace.
He also slammed what he described as “media blackmail tactics,” insisting that no amount of public pressure would force a resolution without true humility and a commitment to Rivers’ interests.
Wike seized the moment to directly refute viral claims that he had collapsed and sought emergency treatment abroad.
“I am here. I am healthy — very, very well,” he said. “Someone started spreading rumours that I had collapsed. I was never sick. And even if I were, am I not a human being?”
With a jab at his detractors, he added: “Those who wish others to fall will be the ones to fall. And when you fall, it will be final.”
The Rivers political crisis, sparked by Wike’s dramatic falling out with Fubara — whom he once championed into office — has plunged the oil-rich state into turmoil. Despite a public ceasefire brokered by President Bola Tinubu, the undercurrents of tension remain dangerously alive.