Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has said Senator Ireti Kingibe will not return to the Senate in 2027, escalating an ongoing dispute between the two over the administration of Abuja.
Wike made the comments on Tuesday while inspecting ongoing road projects in the Nigerian capital, in response to Kingibe’s allegation that the FCT administration had obtained loans without securing the required approval of the National Assembly.
Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, made the allegation during an interview with Channels Television in August. She said she had reviewed Debt Management Office records covering borrowings between August 2023 and March 2026 and had raised the matter with the Senate leadership.
“I have never seen Wike come to the National Assembly and before the Senate to ask for approval of anything,” she said.
But Wike rejected the allegation, arguing that government borrowing could not be undertaken without legislative approval.
“There is no way you can go and take a loan without the approval of the National Assembly,” he said.
The minister said loans would be captured in the government’s budget and subjected to the required approval process.
Wike also criticised Kingibe’s record as a senator and said she had failed to deliver meaningful development for residents of the FCT.
“She is already packing her things out. The people of the FCT have made their choice,” he said, adding that supporters would back President Bola Tinubu and former senator Philip Aduda for the Senate.
Wike further said Kingibe’s focus should be on whether borrowed funds were being properly applied to infrastructure projects rather than questioning the borrowing process.
The dispute is the latest in a series of public exchanges between Wike and Kingibe over the management of the FCT.
Earlier in September, House of Representatives deputy spokesperson Philip Agbese said Wike had followed due process in securing funds for projects in the capital.
