The political feud between Senator Ireti Kingibe and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, intensified this week as the lawmaker delivered a scathing assessment of Wike’s leadership, accusing him of acting like an “emperor” and failing to prioritize the needs of Abuja residents.
In a televised interview aired Tuesday on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, Kingibe criticized Wike’s approach to governance in the capital, saying his administration has left critical sectors like healthcare, security, and infrastructure in decline.
“I decided to tone down my public criticism of him because I thought it would help get development to my people,” Kingibe said. “But it’s made no difference — he has an emperor mentality.”
Kingibe, elected under the Labour Party (LP), lamented that Wike, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) currently serving under the ruling APC-led administration, has excluded her from key budget discussions for the FCT.
She also alleged that staff in the territory are owed salaries, despite the minister’s promises of transformation.
The senator painted a grim picture of life in Abuja, highlighting rising insecurity, including frequent kidnapping and “one-chance” robberies.
She noted that many city roads remain in darkness due to non-functional streetlights, conditions that she says further expose residents to criminal attacks.
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“Wike has not made life better for the people of Abuja. We’re seeing more insecurity, and infrastructure is deteriorating,” she said, while arguing that former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai performed far better in comparison.
Kingibe revealed that she once attempted to reach out to Wike in the spirit of collaboration but was abruptly cut off mid-call — a move she later reported to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The rift between the two politicians has simmered since they both assumed office — Wike in August 2023 and Kingibe two months earlier.
Their political and ideological differences, exacerbated by party lines and governance style, have continued to play out in the media and on the floor of the Senate.
With tensions escalating and the capital city grappling with rising insecurity and underfunded services, citizens now look to the federal government for intervention and clearer direction on how Abuja’s leadership crisis will be resolved.