The Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have called on President Bola Tinubu to address the recent actions of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. The two parties are concerned about Wike’s threat to block the re-election of Senator Ireti Kingibe, the lone senator representing the nation’s capital, in the upcoming 2027 elections.
Peter Dugwu, the Chairman of the Labour Party in the FCT, emphasized the importance of reminding Wike of his appointed role.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, Dugwu stated, “We are advising President Tinubu to call Wike to order. He is just an appointed minister by the president. For Ireti, election into the Senate in the FCT has a process in which Ireti satisfied, meeting all the requirements before becoming a senator.”
Dugwu continued by questioning the legitimacy of Wike’s authority in this matter. He stressed that the decision about Senator Kingibe’s future lies with the Labour Party, not Wike.
“We do not know on whose authority he is speaking. We want him to know that. This is not Rivers and the FCT is not an extension of Rivers state. It is the LP that would decide whether Ireti is coming back or not, not Wike. He does not have any right or locus of asking her to go and focus on 2027, that is not his business. Does he not know that he is a tenant in FCT merely appointed by the president and if Mr. President decides to remove him, he will be removed without any ceremony.”
Ajuji Ahmed, the national chairman of the NNPP, also voiced his disapproval of Wike’s actions. He described Wike’s comments towards Senator Kingibe as verbal violence. According to Ahmed, Wike lacks the authority to influence the re-election of other politicians. “That (the attack) amounts to verbal violence because there is no reason why he (Wike) should do that. He is not in the LP. It was LP that elected her. He has nothing to do with LP and he is not the entire electorate of the FCT. There is no way somebody can stop someone from being re-elected in three years’ time. It’s not a savoury statement,” he stated.