Wike To Kingibe: You Won’t Return To Senate In 2027

The political battle between Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Ireti Kingibe has intensified, with the minister declaring that the FCT senator will not return to the National Assembly after the 2027 elections.

Wike made the statement on Tuesday while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in the Federal Capital Territory, in response to Kingibe’s allegations that the FCT Administration had obtained loans without the approval of the National Assembly.

The minister rejected the allegation, insisting that borrowing for government projects was captured in the budget and subjected to the required approval process.

Wike said Kingibe’s criticism demonstrated a misunderstanding of government borrowing and questioned why she was focusing on loans rather than how the funds were being used to develop infrastructure in the territory.

“She is an illiterate, with all due respect, and that is why she is not going back to the Senate,” Wike said, according to reports of his remarks.

He also linked the dispute to the 2027 elections, saying residents of the FCT had already made their choice. He mentioned President Bola Tinubu and former FCT Senator Philip Aduda, who lost the FCT Senate seat to Kingibe in the 2023 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,” Wike said.

Kingibe had raised the borrowing issue in August during an interview with Channels Television, alleging that the FCT Administration had obtained loans without securing the necessary approval of the National Assembly.

She said her position was based on Debt Management Office records covering the period from August 2023 to March 2026 and maintained that she had not seen Wike appear before the Senate to seek approval for the borrowings.

“I am definitely saying Wike has been taking loans without the approval of the National Assembly,” Kingibe said, adding that she had brought the matter to the attention of the Senate leadership.

Available DMO data show that the FCT’s domestic debt stood at N88.51 billion in September 2023 and rose to N389.88 billion by March 2026. The debt stock increased by about N201 billion between December 2025 and March 2026 alone. However, the figures do not by themselves establish that the individual borrowings were undertaken without the required approvals.

The House of Representatives subsequently dismissed the allegation that Wike had breached the required procedures, with its Deputy Spokesman, Philip Agbese, saying there was no evidence that the minister violated the relevant process in financing FCT infrastructure projects.

Wike, meanwhile, defended the borrowing by pointing to the road projects being executed across the territory.

“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,” the minister said.

He described the ongoing infrastructure projects as evidence of the administration’s activities, saying residents would judge the projects on their impact on transportation, connectivity and economic activity.

Among the projects inspected by the minister were sections of Arterial Road N1 and other road corridors, including the Tungan Madaki-Zuba and Kagini routes.

The latest exchange adds a fresh political dimension to the disagreement over FCT borrowing, with the two lawmakers and political actors now openly trading claims ahead of the 2027 elections.