- Says he’ll ensure the lawmaker does not return to Senate in 2027
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has tackled Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the FCT over her negative on the performance of President Tinubu’s administration in the last one year of its inauguration.
Kingibe had reportedly criticized Wike’s performance, stating that FCT residents were unimpressed.
A report by SaharaReporters quoted Kingibe, a serving Senator representing FCT on the platform of the Labour Party, to have said this while featuring on Arise TV.
She had also reportedly stated that the FCT lacked essential amenities like schools, hospitals, and potable water.
But responding, Wike, who was the former governor of Rivers State and currently embroiled in political crisis, said that he wasn’t in office to please Kingibe, claiming that he had achieved significant progress in his short tenure.
At the Mabushi Bus Terminal flag-off in Abuja, Wike predicted that Kingibe would lose support in the 2027 elections, citing her failure to collaborate with the FCT Administration and her anger towards the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
“I overheard somebody on Arise TV this morning. Unfortunately, I hear the person is a member of the National Assembly and it is unfortunate I say so,” he said.
“With all due respect, what you don’t know, you don’t know, what you know, you know, and the good thing for you is to tell people you don’t when you don’t know, then people will educate you.
“If we have done well, we have done well. If we haven’t done well, we haven’t done well. I am proud to say that in the short time that Mr. President has appointed us, we have done well,” he said praising himself.
“You said there are no hospitals and there are no hospitals. You, as a legislator, what have you done? How many bills have you sponsored for us to improve our education and health sector?
“I challenge that legislator. If you are very popular, 2027, come and run under Abuja, we will fail you. Do you think that what happened last time will happen again? It will not happen again. Luckily for me, I am the FCT Minister now. So that is my territory and I’m not afraid.
“So, people should be able to come out and be able to accept the truth. We are not begging for anybody to become our friend; we have so many friends that we cannot even carry along.
“So how can we go and beg people to become our friends? We are not interested in that. If you are angry that people are praising us, by next year your BP level will go very high because the praises you would see would be too much,” he said.
