Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said Senator Ireti Kingibe will return to the senate in 2027 because she has “no project to show”.
Kingibe, who was elected in 2023 on the Labour Party (LP) platform, represents the FCT in the upper legislative chamber.
Wike had earlier vowed that the senator would not be re-elected.
Recently the senator criticized Wike, saying he had refused to respond to her letters and messages she wrote to him over the rising insecurity in Abuja.
She alleged that Wike did not have the interest of the FCT at heart, saying FCT residents were battling water scarcity among other challenges.
This is not the first time the senator went head-to-head with the minister.
In 2024, Ireti Kingibe declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a “critical political error” by appointing Nyesom Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
She said that Wike’s leadership style has created a climate of disregard for institutions and legal frameworks guiding the territory.
Kingibe said, “The primary thing is that the minister doesn’t obey the rule of law. He is autocratic. He doesn’t follow any rules or any laws. And when you try to draw his attention to the fact that governance is based on the rule of law, he doesn’t accept that.”
However, speaking at a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike reiterated his 2024 claim, saying Kingibe will not return in 2027 because she failed to deliver projects.
“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 said.
He alleged that Kingibe has been absent from satellite communities where folks actually turn out to vote.
