‘Wike Is Tinubu’s Biggest Mistake’ – Ireti Kingibe Explodes, Accuses FCT Minister of Autocratic Rule and Land Grabs
🗓️ 16 July 2025
🖋️ Byline: IDNN Political Bureau
Abuja, Nigeria – Senator Ireti Kingibe has launched a blistering attack on Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, calling his appointment President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “greatest political miscalculation” and accusing him of running the nation’s capital like a private estate.
In a no-holds-barred interview on Arise Television, the FCT senator alleged that Wike’s tenure as minister has been defined by lawlessness, disregard for institutions, and gross abuse of executive power.
“If I were to make a list of everything Tinubu has done wrong, putting Wike in charge of the FCT is the worst. It has demarketed his government more than anything else,” Kingibe said bluntly.
She went further to accuse Wike of acting like a parallel authority, reintroducing agencies without legal backing and bypassing legislative oversight.
“He doesn’t follow the law. He doesn’t consult the National Assembly. He’s running the FCT like a personal fiefdom,” she alleged.
Key Accusations by Senator Kingibe
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Land Revocations:
Kingibe claimed Wike illegally revoked 7,000 hectares of land allocated to the University of Abuja, in violation of the Land Use Act.
“You cannot take institutional land and give it to private individuals. It’s illegal,” she said.
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Hospital Land Grab in Bwari:
She alleged that land allocated for a general hospital in Bwari has been seized and is now being turned into a private mall.
“That land was meant for a public hospital. It’s a travesty,” she stated.
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Sacking of Street Sweepers Without Replacement:
The senator criticized Wike for abruptly firing hundreds of women who swept the streets in the FCT.
“He didn’t replace them with mechanical sweepers. Now Abuja is filthy, and poor women are jobless.”
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Illegal Spending of IGR and TSA Funds:
Kingibe expressed concern that Wike was spending internally generated revenue (IGR) and Treasury Single Account (TSA) funds without oversight.
“He refuses to account for how public money is being spent,” she claimed.
Security Concerns and Political Fallout
Kingibe also hinted at facing threats to her safety, saying she was trailed by a black SUV after returning from an oversight function in Sokoto.
“I’m not afraid of Wike. I’m not saying he should be afraid of me either. But I’m watching him, and I will expose everything,” she said.
When asked whether her stance was political, she responded:
“I don’t care. I’m a senator of the Federal Republic. My duty is to protect the people of Abuja and hold the executive to account. That includes Wike.”
Wike Camp Fires Back: ‘She’s Already Afraid of 2027’
Wike’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, dismissed the senator’s allegations as “a desperate attempt to salvage her doomed re-election bid.”
In a fiery counter-statement, Olayinka claimed:
“She’s blinded by the fear of 2027. She knows she can’t win again. Wike’s work in communities like Kabusa, Gishiri, and Dei-Dei speaks for itself.”
He challenged Kingibe to visit rural FCT districts to witness the minister’s infrastructural work and said her refusal to acknowledge Wike’s achievements showed political bias.
“She is already mourning the loss of her Senate seat,” Olayinka fired back.
Fallout for Tinubu
Observers say the Kingibe-Wike clash has implications for President Tinubu’s control of the FCT and his broader political coalition. Wike, a PDP defector, was seen as a strategic appointment meant to consolidate federal control over Abuja. But the senator’s bombshell is now fueling questions about whether that gamble is backfiring.
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