I was not in coma, enemies spread fake news ― el-Rufai

Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on Thursday urged Nigerians to disregard the rumour being peddled by political enemies that he was involved in an accident and in a coma.

el-Rufai said in a Hausa audio message made available to newsmen on Thursday in Kaduna, that the rumour being circulated was absolutely false.

In the rumour circulating, the governor was critically injured following a traffic accident in which his driver died.

el-Rufai said the accident was concocted. He said he was resting at home when the fake news began to circulate.

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On Facebook, he posted: I woke up after a rare 8-hour bout of deep sleep to learn that some bigotry-driven, PDP-affiliated fake news platform has declared my driver dead and my humble self in coma. Both claims are false. I thank them for reducing the days in their lives and adding them to mine. I remain their permanent nightmare and not about to disappear from their wretched and corrupt lives any time soon by the Grace of Almighty Allah, until they are permanently retired and buried. – Nasir @elrufai

“I want to assure the good people of Kaduna State that the claim is false, and is being circulated by enemies of the state. I am doing very fine and nothing of such happened to me or my driver,” he said in the audio released to newsmen.

Also, in a swift reaction, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye debunked the rumour on his Twitter handle.

He described the rumour of the governor involving in an accident as an act of hatred, which according to him moves people to peddle lies.

“What we have ahead of us now is to continue to work for the progress and development of the state. We will not succumb to people who spread rumours and create confusion and crisis in the state.”

“I am fine, all thanks to Allah, and we will continue to work for the progress of the state,” he stressed, and thanked Kaduna citizens and other Nigerians who showed so much concern over the fake news.