Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, has responded to criticism from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, saying she will continue to question government borrowing and spending despite political pressure.
Kingibe made the comments in a post on her verified X account on Thursday, September 24, 2026, following Wike’s remarks about her concerns over loans obtained by the FCT Administration.
The dispute between the senator and the minister centres on whether the FCT Administration obtained the necessary approval for its borrowing.
Wike had rejected Kingibe’s earlier claims that loans were obtained without National Assembly approval. He also questioned her chances of returning to the Senate in 2027, saying, according to his remarks, that FCT voters had already made their choice.
Kingibe challenged the minister to produce the Senate Votes and Proceedings showing when the alleged approval for the loans was granted.
“I dare the FCT Minister to show the people of the FCT, and all who have asked, the Votes and Proceedings of the day the approval was given,” she said.
The senator maintained that raising questions about public borrowing, government expenditure and other matters affecting the FCT was part of her responsibilities as a legislator.
She also rejected the suggestion that any individual could determine who would represent the FCT in the Senate after the 2027 election.
According to Kingibe, the decision belongs to voters.
“No individual has the authority to decide by personal declaration who the people of the FCT will elect in 2027. That decision belongs solely to the people,” she said. (TheCable)
Kingibe further said she would not be deterred by what she described as insults, threats or political pressure.
“I did not enter public service to be intimidated. I entered it to serve,” she said, adding that she would continue to scrutinise issues affecting the territory.
The disagreement is part of an ongoing public dispute between Kingibe and Wike over FCT governance and the administration’s borrowing for infrastructure projects.
Wike has maintained that government borrowing cannot be undertaken without the required legislative approval and argued that the loans were being used to finance infrastructure in the capital.
Kingibe, however, is asking for the specific parliamentary record showing when the Senate approved the loans.
The dispute has now expanded into the political question of the 2027 Senate election, with both figures publicly commenting on Kingibe’s prospects and the role of FCT voters.
