Apprehensions have continued to mount over the conspicuous absence of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport to welcome President Bola Tinubu from the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  
It has been the tradition for top officials of the Presidency, including the FCT Minister, to throng the tarmac as a welcoming party upon the President’s return from international travels.
   
However, on the night of Saturday, January 17, Wike’s absence at the traditional airport reception, when the President returned to Abuja, fuelled speculations that all might not be well for the former governor of Rivers State.
  
Recall that the FCT Minister has been up in arms with his successor,SiminalayiFubara, over the political leadership of Rivers after the incumbent crossed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and assumed headship of the party.
  
Dissatisfied with that development, the FCT Minister, whose loyalists in the Rivers State House of Assembly expressed reservations about the likelihood of subjecting their political progression to the governor, supported the attempt by the lawmakers to impeach him.
  
The Guardian gathered that the FCT minister’s attempt to orchestrate Fubara’s removal riled the leadership of APC, who called on the minister to respect his boundaries as an appointee of the APC-led Federal Government or risk sack.
  
Some young people had followed up the call for Wike to resign and the President to consider the termination of his appointment with a protest march along some streets in Abuja, thus giving the public the impression that things were not looking rosy in the FCT minister’s relationship with the APC-led administration.

Checks by The Guardian showed that Wike was conspicuously missing from the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day ceremony on January 15 at Eagle Square, Abuja, a yearly event traditionally attended by top government officials to honour Nigeria’s fallen heroes.
  
At the ceremony, which was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other senior officials, the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, who arrived a little late to the event, could not mount the dias to formally take salute on behalf of Wike.

In a statement, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu was accompanied to the ADSW global forum by senior ministers and top government officials.
  
But, when the President arrived at the airport, those on hand to receive him included the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, while the FCT was notably absent.
  
The departure from long-established protocol, under which the FCT Minister is typically a prominent presence at such events, has fuelled speculation of a possible strain in the relationship between President Tinubu and Wike.
 
The President has yet to make any official statement to confirm or deny that there was a breach of protocol or that the FCT Minister’s absence was a “snub.” But observers note that the pattern of frequent absenteeism by Wike has become increasingly difficult to ignore, even as there was no official explanation for Wike’s absence at the ceremony.
  
Despite the apprehension that the FCT Minister may have fallen out with his boss, the President, some stakeholders have linked his absence from the Armed Forces Remembrance ceremony to Wike’s November 2025 altercation with a naval officer, Lt. A. M. Yerima, over a disputed land matter in Abuja’s Gaduwa District, suggesting the minister might have sought permission to avoid a military-focused gathering.
   
Wike has faced criticism in recent months over allegations that he has prioritised Rivers politics at the expense of his FCT responsibilities, just as critics accused him of being largely absent from Abuja amid labour disputes in the territory.
   
However, reacting to the development, the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) said the absence of Wike from public events does not translate to dereliction of duty.
   
The ADC criticised President Tinubu’s own absence from the Remembrance Day event, saying that it sent a “wrong signal” to troops, without mentioning the implication of the FCT Minister’s absence.
 
The CUPP, in a statement sent to The Guardian by its National Secretary, Peter Ameh, noted that while Wike’s absenteeism sparked widespread speculation, “it does not immediately jeopardise his continued membership in the Federal Executive Council (FEC).”
  
The CUPP scribe noted that if the serial absence signals any underlying tension, such as the minister prioritising his personal vendetta in Rivers politics over his federal responsibilities, it could invite scrutiny from the presidency.