Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike
has denied a report purporting that he was barred from the Aso Rock
Presidential Villa.
An independent journalist, Jackson Ude, in a post on his
verified X handle, alleged that the minister was barred from Aso Rock when the
Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited President Bola Tinubu.
Jackson claimed that Wike was drunk when he received the
Indian Prime Minister at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on
Saturday.
According to him, an anonymous security officer spoke to him
from the presidential villa.
Clearing the air, Wike, in a statement issued by his media
aide, Lere Olayinka, countered the claim, insisting that the FCT Minister,
received the Indian Prime Minister as directed by President Tinubu.
Contrary to Jackson’s claims, Olayinka said Wike was on
Sunday morning “at the hotel to perform his duty of leading the visiting Prime
Minister to the Presidential Villa.”
The statement read: “Fact is, the FCT Minister led the Prime
Minister to his hotel, from the Airport and it was from the hotel that he
(Wike) led the Prime Minister to the Presidential Villa on Sunday morning,
where his duty ended.
“Up till now, Jackson Ude is still spinning lies to defend
his initial lies. But for us who know his antecedents, we will not dignify him
henceforth.
“After all, this same Jackson Ude said in many tweets that
the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, had fled Nigeria,
through Niger Republic. He even accused the Minister of State of Defense, Bello
Matawalle of helping Yahaya Bello to escape to Niger Republic.
“However, the same Yahaya Bello that Jackson Ude said had
fled Nigeria showed up at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on September 18, 2024.
“How the same man Jackson Ude claimed ‘Matawalle mobilized
eight military personnel to escort to Niger Republic via Kebbi State, through
the border town of lllela, in two dark-tinted Hilux pickups and a Land Cruiser’
was at the EFCC office on September 18, he (Ude) has not explained.
“Rather, he has jumped to peddling other lies against
high-profile Nigerians, the latest being the FCT Minister. As usual, now that
we have released pictures of the FCT Minister in his hotel with the Indian
Prime Minister on Saturday and on Sunday morning at the Presidential Villa,
Jackson Ude, will try to spin more lies to defend his initial lies. But like I
have said, we won’t be bothered.”
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