The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has slammed Ireti Kingibe, the senator representing the FCT, saying the lawmaker is intimidating herself by failing to perform in the capital city.
The minister made the statement in Abuja on Thursday, September 24, 2026, while addressing journalists following an on-site inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects across satellite towns in the FCT.
The dispute between Kingibe and Wike escalated sharply on Thursday following accusations of unlawful external borrowing. The core criticism was about alleged unauthorised loans.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, Senator Kingibe accused Wike of securing massive loans for the FCT without statutory approval from the National Assembly. Kingibe stated that she reviewed Debt Management Office (DMO) records covering borrowings between August 2023 and March 2026, finding evidence that Wike’s administration bypassed Senate clearance.
She challenged the minister to present proof of legislative approval, asserting that she had never seen him appear before the Senate to request these loans.
While inspecting the road projects, Wike dismissed her allegations. He stated that no government can obtain a loan without legislative approval since borrowing is explicitly captured in the annual FCT budget.
Asked about criticism from the incumbent FCT senator, who had said she would not be intimidated and could not be forced out of the race, the minister said his comments were not intended as intimidation but as a call for accountability, questioning how often she had engaged satellite town communities and traditional rulers, and what legislative action she had taken on behalf of the territory.
He said, “How many times has she gone to satellite towns to discuss with them to consult with them, even traditional rulers? How many times has she spoken on the floor of the senate to say these are the problems the FCT is facing?
“How many times has she come up with bills to tell her colleagues to support her to pass this bill so that certain problems facing Abuja will be taken care of. So, it’s not about intimidation, nobody’s intimidating her, rather she has intimidated herself by not performing. It’s the non-performance that’s causing her intimidation”, the Minister explained.
