•Ireti Kingibe and Nyesom Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has maintained that Ireti Kingibe will not secure re-election to the Senate in 2027, arguing that her record lacks tangible projects to support a return.
Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the National Assembly and was elected to the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party, has since joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), reports Channels TV.
Political tensions between both figures have persisted, particularly regarding governance in the FCT.
Kingibe recently alleged that the minister has been uncooperative in efforts to deliver development projects for residents.
She claimed that despite writing to the minister, she has not received a positive response on collaboration aimed at improving services and infrastructure in the territory.
However, speaking during a media parley in Abuja today, Wike reiterated his position, tying his prediction to what he described as a lack of visible development initiatives.
“I had said it more than one year ago, Senator Ireti, you won’t come back as a senator. That’s why you people don’t like people who tell you the truth. It’s bitter. Let her show one project,” he stated.
Wike also asserted that the senator has not been sufficiently present in satellite communities, which he noted are often areas with high voter participation during elections.
During the recent FCT area council elections, opposition parties criticised visits to polling units by the FCT minister.
However, Nyesom Wike defended the action, stating that as the territory’s chief security officer he has the right to visit polling areas.
The former Rivers State governor stated that his movements during the February 21 area council elections did not influence the outcome of the polls.
“I have the rights, I am the governor of 3,000 polling units. For security, I have to find out what is going on. I don’t have to be told, I am not a candidate for the election,” the minister stated.
“Somebody has said I move about. How many polling units in FCT? FCT has not less than 3,000 polling units. Assuming I went to 10 polling units to check what was going on, how will it affect 3,000 polling units?
“As a candidate, I cannot move around. I must have my agents. As the Chief Security Officer, I have a right to have a view of what is going on and how does it affect, influence the election?”
He argued that the opposition’s poor preparation contributed to their performance in the exercise, adding that the results recorded by the All Progressives Congress reflected the effectiveness of the administration of Bola Tinubu.
