Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has again said Senator Ireti Kingibe will not return to the Senate in 2027, while defending the FCT Administration against allegations that it obtained loans without the approval of the National Assembly.
Wike spoke on Tuesday while addressing journalists after inspecting ongoing road projects across the Federal Capital Territory. His comments followed Kingibe’s criticism of the administration’s borrowing for infrastructure projects.
The minister rejected the allegation, insisting that government borrowing must be included in the budget and subjected to the required legislative approval process.
“She is an illiterate, with all due respect, and that is why she is not going back to the Senate. She has nothing to offer to the people of the FCT. There is no way you can go and take a loan without the approval of the National Assembly. Anyone take a loan, you will include it in the budget that this aspect of this budget, the government is going to collect loan,” Wike said.
Wike also said he did not intend to continue responding to Kingibe’s criticism, claiming that residents of the FCT had already made their choice ahead of the 2027 election.
“I don’t want to comment about her. When the time is right, let her pack her bags out, the people have made their choice by agreeing to support President Tinubu, and then will support Philip Aduda for Senate. So, let us not waste our time reacting to inferiors who failed in all ramifications. I don’t want to react to it, I am above that,” he said.
The FCT minister argued that the main issue should not simply be whether the administration borrowed money, but whether the funds were being used for projects that benefit residents.
“I thought she would criticise that I am doing nothing. So if her problem is that I took a loan, if I took a loan, I am using it to work. I thought her concern would have been: are we applying the loan to work for the interest of residents? She believes that we can’t run infrastructure without loans, and that we must have taken a loan, that is her problem,” he said.
Kingibe had previously questioned the FCT Administration’s borrowing, saying she had reviewed Debt Management Office records covering borrowings between August 2023 and March 2026 and had raised concerns with the Senate leadership. She also said she had not seen Wike appear before the Senate to seek approval for the borrowings.
Wike further linked Kingibe’s criticism to the start of the campaign period for the presidential and National Assembly elections. He said his inspection of ongoing projects should also be viewed as part of showing residents what the administration is doing.
“When is the time to campaign? Look at what we are doing. That is the campaign. The ban on campaign has been lifted for the President and National Assembly, am I not right? As I finish now, then she know what we are doing, and they are seeing every road, and tell everyone that this is what President Tinubu is doing. Who will see what Mr President is doing and will say that he will vote for another person? That is not correct. So, I am doing my job. While we are doing an inspection of the project, we are also doing a campaign,” he said.
During the inspection, Wike said he was satisfied with the progress of work on several road projects, including the N1 road and routes stretching from Tunga Madaki towards Zuba and Kagini.
He said the projects, once completed, would improve economic activity and directly benefit residents of the affected communities, adding that improving the welfare of residents remained a central purpose of governance.
