Abuja, February 21, 2026 – Senator Ireti Kingibe, the representative of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Nigerian Senate, has publicly accused FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of unwillingness to collaborate on governance matters concerning the nation's capital. In a candid interview on Channels Television's Politics Today program aired on Friday, February 20, 2026, Kingibe detailed her repeated efforts to foster cooperation, including multiple formal letters to the minister, and described a tense personal interaction that required intervention from Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Kingibe, who represents the FCT as the only senator elected from the territory, emphasized that her overtures have been met with resistance. "You can see the letters I have written to the minister, all of them telling how I am willing to work with him," she stated during the interview. "The minister is not willing to work with anybody. He is not willing to work with the FCDA people; he is not willing to work with the Mandate Secretary. The minister thinks governance is about what he alone thinks and what he alone wants."
The senator's remarks come amid heightened tensions in the FCT administration, where the minister—appointed by President Bola Tinubu—oversees executive functions, while the senator provides legislative oversight and representation for residents. Kingibe highlighted that her role focuses on governance and improving the lives of FCT constituents, yet collaboration has proven elusive.
A key point of contention in the interview was a recent phone conversation between the two leaders. Kingibe recounted persistently calling Wike after he initially did not answer. When he finally picked up, the exchange escalated. "He proceeded to yell at me. We yelled at each other for a few minutes, and we put the phone down," she explained. Kingibe said she had expressed her intention to visit his office for discussions, but Wike reportedly responded, "No, don’t come," phrasing it in a way that suggested he feared harm or disruption. "As if I was going to harm him," she added, underscoring the breakdown in communication.
The impasse was only temporarily addressed through the intervention of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who facilitated a three-way conference call to resolve the immediate issue. Kingibe described the matter as urgent, prompting her determination to secure a response from the minister.
The interview also addressed Wike's recent declaration of a work-free day on Friday, February 20, 2026, and a restriction on human and vehicular movement in the FCT from 8:00 p.m. on Friday to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2026. This measure was announced in a special broadcast by Wike on Thursday, February 19, 2026, and approved by President Tinubu to facilitate the Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday.
Kingibe strongly criticized the curfew, describing it as a significant inconvenience to residents and unnecessary given the absence of any apparent security threat. "The truth is that this whole curfew is a great inconvenience to the people of the FCT," she said. She noted that she has lived in the territory for a long time and that this was the first instance of such a restriction for local government elections. "There's no need" for a 22-hour curfew "just because we're having local government elections," she argued, pointing out that sensitive election materials were already distributed and no credible threats justified the measure.
In a separate statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Matilda Duncan, Kingibe labeled the curfew "authoritarian, ill-considered, and unacceptable in a democratic society." She stressed that security concerns should not justify executive overreach and called for its review or suspension, arguing it infringes on residents' rights and disrupts daily life, economic activities, and evening responsibilities.
The public spat is the latest chapter in a longstanding feud between Kingibe and Wike, which dates back to the 2023 general elections. The two have frequently engaged in public exchanges, with Kingibe previously criticizing Wike's leadership as autocratic and showing disregard for constitutional processes. In July 2025, she described President Tinubu's appointment of Wike as his "greatest political blunder." Wike, in response, has vowed to work against Kingibe's re-election in 2027, pledging to ensure she does not return to the Senate.
Kingibe has since switched from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing internal party issues rather than external pressure. She has dismissed Wike's influence over her political fate, asserting that FCT voters will decide her future.
The ongoing discord raises broader questions about governance in the FCT, a unique administrative entity without a state governor. The minister wields significant executive powers, while the senator advocates for residents' interests through the National Assembly. Observers note that the lack of cooperation could hinder development projects, budget oversight, and responsive administration in the capital.
Residents have expressed mixed reactions to the curfew, with some viewing it as a standard election precaution to ensure order, while others see it as excessive and disruptive. The Area Council elections are critical for local governance in the six area councils of the FCT, determining chairpersons and councilors who handle grassroots administration.
As the elections proceed on Saturday amid the restrictions, the public statements from Kingibe highlight persistent challenges in inter-governmental relations within the FCT. Whether this latest episode leads to renewed dialogue or further escalation remains to be seen, but it underscores the complexities of administering Nigeria's capital territory under the current framework.
