Kingibe Defies Wike Over FCT Senate Seat, Loan Scrutiny Row

Senator Ireti Kingibe has rejected Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike's claim that she cannot win re-election during the 2027 senatorial race. The disagreement stems from Kingibe's scrutiny of how the FCT Administration secured loans, with the senator asserting that National Assembly oversight applies to such transactions.

Wike dismissed Kingibe's concerns about the loans and threw his support behind former senator Philip Aduda, the All Progressives Congress nominee for the FCT Senate seat. According to the minister, residents of the territory had already chosen to back Aduda.

On social media, Kingibe responded that the voting public—not individual officials or ministers—would ultimately choose their 2027 representative. The senator demanded that Wike supply proof showing Senate ratification of those specific loans.

According to Kingibe, she has never observed the minister requesting approval from the chamber. She stressed that questioning government expenditure and insisting on accountability for taxpayer funds falls within her constitutional authority as a legislator, and that every public servant remains accountable to oversight.

Kingibe framed the disagreement as fundamentally about principle rather than partisan advantage. She asserted that she joined public service to benefit FCT residents, not to yield to pressure campaigns.

The senator declared she would not stop fulfilling her legislative obligations—including raising doubts about how public money is used and pushing for greater openness—even when faced with political coercion or methods designed to silence her.