By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has again said Senator Ireti Kingibe will not return to the National Assembly after the 2027 elections, as he defended the FCT Administration’s borrowing for infrastructure projects.

Wike made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects across the Federal Capital Territory.

His comments followed allegations by Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, that the administration had obtained loans for capital projects without the required approval of the National Assembly.

Wike rejected the allegation, insisting that government borrowing must be captured in the budget and subjected to the appropriate legislative process.

The minister also criticised Kingibe personally, describing her as “illiterate” and saying she had nothing to offer residents of the FCT. He linked the dispute to the senator’s chances of returning to the Senate in 2027.

“She is an illiterate, with all due respect, and that is why she is not going back to the Senate. She has nothing to offer to the people of the FCT,” Wike said.

He argued that it would not be possible for the government to obtain loans without the involvement of the National Assembly, adding that borrowing for projects would be reflected in the government’s budget.

“If you want to take a loan, you will include it in the budget. It is part of the budget that we are going to collect a loan to execute some projects in the FCT,” he said.

Kingibe had earlier raised questions over the FCT Administration’s borrowing, saying she had not seen Wike appear before the Senate to seek approval for loans. The issue has generated debate over the procedures surrounding government borrowing and the financing of infrastructure projects in the capital.

The House of Representatives has also responded to the controversy. Its Deputy Spokesman, Philip Agbese, said there was no evidence that Wike had violated the required procedures in financing FCT projects, maintaining that borrowing for infrastructure could be lawful when the appropriate processes and approvals were followed.

Wike, however, said the focus should not simply be on whether the administration had borrowed money, but on how any funds obtained were being used.

“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,” he said.

He questioned why the senator would focus on borrowing instead of assessing whether the funds were being used to provide infrastructure and improve the lives of FCT residents.

“Assuming I took a loan, our concern should have been: are we applying the loan to fulfil the interest of residents?” he added.

The disagreement between Wike and Kingibe has also taken on a political dimension ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike said residents of the FCT had already made their choice, claiming that they would support President Bola Tinubu and former senator Philip Aduda in the next elections.

“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,” he said.

Wike has previously said Kingibe would not return to the Senate in 2027. In March, he made a similar statement during a media engagement in Abuja, citing what he described as a lack of tangible projects by the senator.

The minister also connected his comments to the commencement of campaign activities for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.

He said the ongoing infrastructure projects being executed by the FCT Administration were themselves evidence of the government’s activities, suggesting that residents could assess the work being carried out across the territory.

“When is the time to campaign? Look at what we are doing. That is the campaign,” Wike said.

During the inspection, the minister visited several road projects, including the N1 road and routes covering the Tunga Madaki-Zuba and Kagini areas.

Wike expressed satisfaction with the progress of the projects and said their completion would have an economic impact on residents, particularly communities that depend on the roads for transportation and commercial activities.

He said improving infrastructure remained an important part of governance and that the ultimate objective of the projects was to improve conditions for people living in the FCT.