From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, has fired a sharp rebuttal at Senator Ireti Kingibe following her recent criticisms of the minister’s leadership.
Olayinka accused Kingibe of being “shameless,” neglecting her legislative aides who have reportedly left due to unpaid salaries, and engaging in “immoral acts.”
Kingibe had earlier accused Minister Wike of being disconnected from the needs of FCT residents, saying on Channels TV’s Political Paradigm that: “Most of Abuja is pitch dark. So I go there, put solar lights in between the places, light up the place so that young people will at least have… You can’t keep them at home, so they’ll at least be safer.”
She added: “It’s not that he (Wike) wouldn’t have done it too, except he doesn’t know what they need… Solar lights are cheap, but how many can I put? For where I can put one, the minister can put a thousand. Do you see the difference?”
Kingibe also predicted that the upcoming 2026 local government elections would serve as a referendum on Wike’s stewardship, stating: “The local government election is going to tell whether Wike controls FCT, because nobody does… The one thing that unites us all in the FCT is our resentment of the minister. It’s not just about development. It’s about treating us with levity, treating us with disregard and contempt.”
In response, Olayinka dismissed Kingibe’s claims and turned the spotlight on her, saying: “It is funny that Senator Ireti Kingibe, who treats her personal aides like slaves and has refused to pay them their wages, is the one talking about someone treating others with disregard.”
Olayinka alleged that many of Kingibe’s aides have resigned due to unpaid salaries and “immoral acts,” revealing: “As at today, we know how many of Senator Ireti Kingibe’s aides that have resigned owing to non-payment of their salary and immoral acts. We know one of her aides, who resigned because she allegedly had an immoral relationship with her boyfriend.”
He further referenced Kingibe’s personal life, stating: “We also know what strained her relationship with her third husband, Ambassador Gana Kingibe, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). But we will keep our gunpowder dry for now.”
Olayinka challenged Kingibe to account for public funds, accusing her of mismanaging constituency projects: “Senator Ireti Kingibe should tell the people of FCT what she did with the ‘envelop of N3 billion’ that was awarded her last year and how many contracts for constituency projects she has sold for between 15 and 20 percent of the contract value.”
He concluded by affirming that Minister Wike remains focused on development despite the criticisms: “As for the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, he will not be distracted by someone like Senator Ireti Kingibe, who has no other credible identity to present herself with, except the name of someone he is no longer married to. The Minister will continue to bring infrastructural developments to both the FCT city center and satellite towns. Just last week Friday, commissioning of 16 projects to commemorate the second year of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was concluded, and by this time next year, more projects would have been commissioned.”