The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has openly criticised the governing approach of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of running the capital in an autocratic manner and shutting out collaboration.
Appearing on Politics Today on Channels Television, Kingibe said Wike is “not willing to work with anybody,” despite her repeated attempts to engage him on governance matters affecting FCT residents.
“If the Minister were my younger brother, he wouldn’t behave this way. I am only about governance,” she said.
“You can see the letters I have written to the minister, all of them telling how I am willing to work with him; the minister is not willing to work with anybody.”
The lawmaker further alleged that Wike has sidelined key institutions, insisting that he “is not willing to work with the FCDA people” and “not willing to work with the Mandate Secretary,” adding that the minister believes governance is about “what he alone thinks and what he alone wants.”
The criticism followed Wike’s special broadcast on national television and radio on Thursday, where he announced a curfew in the FCT ahead of the February 21 bye-election. The minister declared Friday a work-free day and imposed a restriction of movement from 8:00 pm Friday to 6:00 pm Saturday, urging residents to turn out and vote.
Kingibe faulted the move, describing the 22-hour curfew as excessive and unjustified, insisting the FCT faces no security threat that warrants such action.
“If the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is fully prepared, the security forces are all in place, what is the need for this draconian measure? There is no need,” she said.
She added that the decision was unprecedented in her years of living in the capital, noting that even during protests, such a sweeping restriction was never imposed in a city hosting embassies, high commissions, and the ECOWAS Secretariat.
INEC is scheduled to conduct elections across the six FCT area councils, alongside bye-elections in Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies in Rivers State, and Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies in Kano State.
