Tony Okocha, a prominent figure within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has confirmed that the name of the Former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, is indeed present in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ministerial list.

According to Politics Nigeria, Okocha, who is the coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Vanguard (BAT-V), has debunked rumours that the name of Nyesom Wike, the former governor of the state, has been removed from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ministerial list.

Okocha said the rumour is a “handiwork of mischief makers” and that there is no truth to it.

He said the author of the “fake news” is neither a staff of the Presidential Villa nor an official of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Okocha also questioned who was nominated to replace Wike to fill the Rivers State ministerial slot if the fake news was real.

He said: “Wike’s name is still very much in the list. Remember, that these people never believed that former governor Wike would be considered for a ministerial appointment. So, the best they can do is to resort to fake news.”

Okocha said Wike has not committed any offence to warrant his name being removed from the list.

He said: “What offence did Wike commit to warrant his name being removed from the list? Which court of law in Nigeria found him guilty of any form of corruption? Lies from the pit of hell.”

Speaking in Port Harcourt, the politician drew attention to the newspaper that first published the story of Wike’s removal, pointing out that it was the same media outlet responsible for spreading false information about the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari years ago. He urged Nigerians to dismiss such misleading reports, stressing that there was no truth to them.

Okocha urged supporters of Wike to disregard the rumour and to be patient as the list of ministers is still being compiled.