The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has narrated a tense telephone exchange with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, revealing that the minister declined her request for a physical meeting during a heated argument that required the intervention of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Kingibe disclosed that she repeatedly called the minister over what she described as an urgent matter until he eventually answered, leading to a shouting match between both parties .
‘He Sounded As If I Was Going To Harm Him’
According to the senator, when she suggested a face-to-face meeting to resolve the issue, Wike refused outright.
“I said, are you in your office? Let me come and see you. He said, no, no, no, don’t come here. That was the conversation. He sounded as if I was going to harm him,” Kingibe recounted .
The lawmaker stated that both she and the minister raised their voices during the exchange before ending the call. The disagreement could not be resolved over the phone alone, prompting Senate President Godswill Akpabio to intervene by initiating a three-way call that helped calm tensions .
Accusations of Autocracy
Kingibe used the opportunity to criticize Wike’s administrative style, describing him as unwilling to collaborate with other stakeholders in FCT governance.
“If the Minister were my younger brother, he wouldn’t behave this way. I am only about governance. The minister is not willing to work with anybody—not willing to work with the FCDA people, not willing to work with the Mandate Secretary. The minister thinks governance is about what he alone thinks and what he alone wants” .
She also faulted the minister’s imposition of a 22-hour curfew ahead of the FCT Area Council elections, describing it as a “draconian measure” unnecessary for a capital city housing embassies and international organizations .
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