Akpabio aide dismisses health rumours as false reports

Akpabio’s aide dismisses health rumours as baseless, insisting the Senate President is healthy and actively performing official duties.

Kenny Okolugbo, Consultant on Communications and Strategy to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed reports circulating on social media about the health of the Senate President, describing them as false and unfounded.

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Okolugbo spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme.

He said Akpabio remains healthy and has continued to attend to his legislative responsibilities.

“The Senate President is very healthy. You saw him; he has been attending sessions, and that answers the question,” Okolugbo said.

He compared the reports to similar rumours previously spread about the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

“Even Minister Wike was affected by similar rumours. One day they said he was in a coma or had suffered a stroke, and the next day he was commissioning projects and appeared on a live programme,” he added.

Okolugbo warned against the growing spread of misinformation online and called for stronger regulation of social media platforms.

“We must regulate social media. Everybody is now a publisher, but people forget that the law prohibits sharing information you are not sure of,” he said.

Earlier in the week, SaharaReporters alleged that Akpabio had collapsed and was flown to London for medical treatment.

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The report also claimed the purported incident kept the Senate President away from official engagements, including the interactive session on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper held on Wednesday.

David Okere