How Akpabio Intervened After My Heated Phone Clash With Wike – Ireti Kingibe

The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe has accused Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, of refusing to cooperate with her on issues concerning the governance of Abuja.

During an interview on Channels Television on Friday, Kingibe explained that she had sent several letters to Wike, stating her readiness to work with him for the good of residents in the FCT.

She also criticised the minister’s decision to impose a curfew ahead of the Saturday area council elections, saying he did so without consulting key stakeholders.

The senator recounted a heated phone exchange between her and the minister.

According to her, after several failed attempts to reach him, he eventually answered her call, and both of them raised their voices during the conversation before hanging up.

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Kingibe said the disagreement was later settled after the intervention of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who organised a three-way phone call that helped calm the situation.

“The truth is that this whole curfew is a great inconvenience to the people of the FCT,” she said.

“I have his(Wike) phone number. I have called him before. He did not answer, and I kept calling till he picked up the phone. He proceeded to yell at me.

“We yelled at each other for a few minutes, and we put the phone down. Then the senate president intervened, did a three-way call, and we resolved the issue.

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“Because for me, that issue was urgent. I was determined that he was going to respond to my call. I told him I was going to come and see him in the office. He said, ‘no, don’t come’. That was the conversation, as if I was going to harm him.

“I am only about governance. We can see the letters I have written to the minister. All of the letters telling him I’m willing to work with him.

“The minister is not willing to work with anybody. He is not willing to work with the FCDA people. The minister thinks governance is about what he alone thinks and what he alone wants.”

Kingibe and Wike have had a strained relationship since the 2023 general elections, frequently criticising each other in the media.

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