The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has dared the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe to visit the neighboring towns and campaign against his role in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet if she is truly confident in her political standing.
In a statement on Tuesday, Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, said Kingibe was already blinded by the looming prospect of her electoral defeat and therefore unable to recognize the positive transformation taking place in Abuja and the FCT’s satellite towns.
In response to comments made by Senator Kingibe on a television program on Monday, where she described President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Wike as FCT Minister as his “biggest mistake,” Olayinka said, “it is funny that someone who is impersonating by using the name of Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, who is no longer her husband, believes that jumping from one television station to the other to disparage the FCT Minister will revive her dead political career.”
He also highlighted the recent infrastructural progress under Wike’s leadership, challenging the Senator to visit communities such as Saburi, Dei Dei, Kabusa, Ketti, Yangoji, Pai, Gomani, Gishiri, Kwaita, Yebu, Sukuku, Ebo, Ushafa, and others that now boast of new roads, and tell residents there that Tinubu made a mistake in appointing Wike.
He also pointed to longstanding projects finally seeing progress, including the relocation of traders at Apo Mechanic Village to a permanent site after over 15 years, as well as the construction along Apo-Wasa road.
“In Abaji, Federal Capital Territory University, Abaji (FCTU), a university established close to 15 years ago, but was abandoned, is now witnessing a massive infrastructural development.
“Also, general renovation of 22 schools has been done in the last 12 months while renovation of more than 40 others is ongoing.
Describing Kingibe as “someone already blinded by the spirit of a coming defeat,” Olayinka alleged that she is aware she will not be able to retain her Senate seat in 2027.
The reason is, she knows that in 2027, she won’t be able to retain the Senate seat she accidentally got in 2023. She knows that the factor that got her to the Senate is no longer available and she is desperate to use attacks on Wike to gain political leverage.
“Unfortunately, Wike is not in the comity of frustrated politicians like Ireti ‘Kingibe’ who is treating her aides like slaves, refusing to pay their wages and entitlements for months,” Olayinka said.
He advised the Senator to “get real” and stop what he termed impersonation.
“At 71, a woman should have a clear identity, use her legitimate names, and stop using the name of a man she is no longer married to.”
