Ireti Kingibe: Wike Has An Emperor Mentality
Wike: Ireti Is An Immoral Senator Whose Aides Left Over Unpaid Wages
The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken their fight to another level after the Legislator accused the former Rivers State Governor of demonstrating an emperor mentality that had made him insensitive to the plight of the people of Abuja.
Both politicians have been at daggers drawn since they took office on the Executive and Legislature arms of government in 2023.
Their latest brawl this week came after the female Senator, speaking on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm programme of Tuesday, said the FCT Minister had not made the lives of the people better.
Responding, Lere Olayinka, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, said in a statement on Tuesday, that the FCT Minister would not be available to be used as a launchpad for Senator Ireti Kingibe’s dying political career.
According to Olayinka, the Senator should be told to stop being shameless, stop immoral acts and pay attention to the welfare of her legislative aides, many of whom left as a result of non-payment of their salary and entitlements for as much as six months.
IRETI KINGIBE
Furthermore, the lawmaker accused the FCT Minister of owing salaries and not carrying her along in the drafting of the budget for the city.
“In the last few months, I gave it some thought and said at the end of the day, all I want is my people to benefit. If being less antagonistic to the minister would help bring development to the people, then fine.
“So, I decided that in spite of the things that I don’t like that he is doing, I will minimise my public criticisms of him, but it’s not made any difference because he has an emperor mentality,” Kingibe said.
Kingibe and Wike have been caught in a long-drawn brawl since they assumed their respective offices in June and August 2023. While the former belongs to the opposition Labour Party (LP), the latter is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but works with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
The lawmaker said all spectrums of insecurity, such as one-chance robbery and kidnapping, have become common occurrences in the FCT because the Minister failed in his responsibility.
The LP Senator said Abuja roads had been thrown into pitch darkness due to a lack of streetlights, fuelling insecurity.
Kingibe said she once reported Wike to Senate President Godswill Akpabio after the Minister cut her off a call she initiated to him in the spirit of peace and synergy.
LERE OLAYINKA, SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO NYESOM WIKE:
The FCT Minister’s Spokesperson said it was funny that Senator Ireti Kingibe, who treats her personal aides like slaves and has refused to pay them their wages is the one talking about someone treating others with disregard.
Olayinka said; “As at today, we know how many of Senator Ireti Kingibe’s aides, who have resigned owing to non-payment of their salary and immoral acts.
“We know one of her aides, who resigned because she allegedly had an immoral relationship with her boyfriend. We also know what strained her relationship with her third husband, Ambassador Gana Kingibe, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). But we will keep our gunpowder dry for now.
“However, Senator Ireti Kingibe should tell the people of FCT what she did with the an ‘envelop of N3 billion’ that was awarded her last year and how many contracts for constituency projects she has sold for between 15 and 20 percent of the contract value.
“As for the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, he will not be distracted by someone like Senator Ireti Kingibe, who has no other credible identity to present herself with, except the name of someone she is no longer married to.
“The Minister will continue to bring infrastructural developments to both the FCT city center and satellite towns. Just last week Friday, commissioning of 16 projects to commemorate the second year of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was concluded, and by this time next year, more projects would have been commissioned.”
