Amanze ChinonyeThe rift between Senator Ireti Kingibe and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has deepened as his media aide, Lere Olayinka, accused the lawmaker of targeting his boss in a bid to regain political relevance.
Olayinka, who serves as Senior Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister, dismissed Kingibe’s repeated criticisms of Wike’s governance as calculated and self-serving.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe said that the senator’s remarks were less about the state of the capital and more about positioning herself ahead of future elections.
“Senator Kingibe is not speaking for the people of the FCT. She is speaking for her own ambition,” Olayinka said in a statement issued on Monday. “She believes attacking Wike will put her back in the spotlight.”
The remarks follow a recent wave of comments by Kingibe, who accused Wike of disconnecting from the grassroots and claimed his appointment by President Bola Tinubu had worsened governance in the territory. She also likened his leadership unfavorably to that of former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai.
But Olayinka pushed back sharply, accusing the senator of neglecting her own responsibilities. He alleged that her legislative aides had spent months without pay, and questioned her handling of multi-billion-naira constituency allocations.
READ ALSO: Nyesom Wike: His Style, Achievements And The Fate Of FCT Workers
“While she points fingers, her own office is in disarray. She owes salaries, and there are unanswered questions about the management of her constituency funds,” he alleged.
He further criticized her continued use of the “Kingibe” name, referring to her former husband, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, implying she was riding on past associations rather than forging her own identity in public service.
The senator’s camp has rejected the accusations. Her spokesperson, Kennedy Mbele, described the minister’s aide as “resorting to personal attacks in place of accountability.”
“Rather than address the substance of her concerns on housing, public safety, and transparency, he’s trying to silence her with character smears,” Mbele said.
Observers say the increasingly personal feud has exposed deeper fault lines within the FCT’s political landscape, as both sides maneuver for influence ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
For now, the public confrontation shows no signs of easing, as Kingibe continues to critique Wike’s leadership style, while the minister’s allies frame her as a struggling politician using controversy to stay relevant.
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