Kingibe, Wike In Heated Clash
Tension within the leadership of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has come to the fore following revelations by Senator Ireti Kingibe about a heated confrontation with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over governance issues in Abuja.
The senator representing the FCT disclosed that the disagreement escalated to the point where Senate President Godswill Akpabio had to step in through a three-way telephone conversation to calm tensions and facilitate reconciliation.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Kingibe described the episode as the culmination of mounting frustration over what she termed a breakdown in communication between her office and that of the minister.
At the centre of the dispute was the curfew imposed ahead of the FCT area council elections. Kingibe argued that the directive caused hardship for residents and was introduced without sufficient consultation.
According to her, repeated attempts to reach the minister to express her concerns initially proved unsuccessful. When he eventually answered her call, tempers reportedly flared.
“We yelled at each other for a few minutes and we put the phone down,” she said, explaining that the conversation ended abruptly before the Senate President intervened to broker peace.
Kingibe further alleged a pattern of exclusion, claiming she had written several letters to the minister expressing her willingness to collaborate in the interest of effective governance in the capital territory, but that her overtures had not been reciprocated.
She maintained that governance in the FCT requires synergy between elected and appointed officials, rather than unilateral decision-making.
“The truth is that this whole curfew is a great inconvenience to the people of the FCT,” she said. “I was determined that he was going to respond to my call. I even told him I would come to his office, and he said, ‘no, don’t come.’”
The senator accused the minister of sidelining stakeholders and running the territory based on personal discretion instead of broader consultation. “The minister is not willing to work with anybody… The minister thinks governance is about what he alone thinks and what he alone wants,” she added.
The friction between both political figures is not new. Since the 2023 elections, their relationship has been marked by public disagreements and pointed criticism. Kingibe has previously questioned the minister’s leadership style, while Wike has openly signalled his intention to challenge her political future.
Her latest remarks, however, provide a rare insight into the intensity of their private exchanges.
Observers say the development raises fresh concerns about coordination within Nigeria’s capital administration. With residents closely monitoring the situation, analysts argue that effective governance in the FCT will depend on institutional cooperation rather than personal rivalry.
For now, the Senate President’s intervention appears to have resolved the immediate dispute. Whether it marks a turning point in the working relationship between the senator and the minister remains to be seen.
