Abuja
Tinubu’s Biggest Mistake Is Making Wike Minister Says Ireti Kingibe
Tinubu’s Biggest Mistake Is Making Wike Minister Says Ireti Kingibe
Tinubu’s biggest mistake is making Wike minister says Ireti Kingibe. Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the federal capital territory (FCT), says President Bola Tinubu’s greatest political blunder was appointing Nyesom Wike as minister.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV on Monday, Kingibe said Wike’s leadership style is autocratic and marked by “total disregard for the constitution”.
“The primary thing is that the minister doesn’t obey the rule of law. He’s autocratic. He doesn’t follow any rules or any laws. And when you try to draw his attention that governance is based on laws, the rule of law, he doesn’t accept that,” Kingibe said.
The senator accused Wike of reinstating scrapped agencies without legal backing.
“Minister Nyesom Wike has brought back agencies without the enabling laws. If he wants these things, he should ask the national assembly to create the enabling laws.
But he doesn’t, because he’s just autocratic. He feels, ‘I can do anything’,” she said.
Kingibe also alleged that Wike revoked 7,000 out of 11,000 hectares of land allocated to the University of Abuja, in violation of the Land Use Act.
“Abuja University had approximately 11,000 hectares. Minister Wike has revoked 7,000 of it and left them with four. It is definitely against the Land Use Act for you to take land from institutions to give them to individuals,” she said.
Kingibe said Wike’s actions have led to job losses and growing discontent among FCT residents.
“Every minister has come and found the streets being cleaned by indigent women. Even when some ministers come and want to bring mechanical street sweepers, we say No. This is a source of livelihood for our indigent women, widows and other underprivileged women,” she said.
“He comes, he’s fired them all… Then he doesn’t replace them with mechanical street sweepers. So, Abuja is looking dirty.”
On the issue of “unpaid” local contractors, Kingibe said Wike refused to pay hundreds of small indigenous businesses.
“There are these people called Abuja Small Indigenous Contractors… maybe about four or five hundred of them that had not been paid,” the senator said.
“He says, no, he’s not paying them. He didn’t give them the job. And that’s that. He didn’t. Two years on, they haven’t been paid.”
Reacting to recent polls that rated Wike’s performance positively, she questioned their credibility.
“If truly, Minister Wike is as popular as… You’re talking about that poll, depending on who conducted the poll and how it was conducted,” she said.
“I’m not knocking it, but I am saying local government elections are coming in a few months.
“When we come to any kind of election, can he tell the people, go and do this and they do it? If he can’t, then it means that all that any minister has been doing is blustering and carrying on and just making noise.”
Kingibe said President Tinubu’s decision to empower Wike politically has hurt his administration.
“It’s my personal opinion that that is rather unfortunate, because if I were making a list of all the things that President Tinubu has done wrong, the greatest wrong he’s done to himself, the thing that has demarcated him the most has been on Minister Wike,” she said.
Kingibe accused Wike of revoking land meant for a general hospital in Bwari and replacing it with commercial development.
Wike and Tinubu
“In Bwari, there’s land allocated for a general hospital. Minister Wike revokes it and he’s having some sort of a market or mall or something put on it,” she said.
The senator said the minister has been harassing embassies and institutions over ground rent.
“Minister Wike has been harassing all of FCT over ground rent… including embassies,” she said.
She said she plans to submit documents to the appropriate oversight bodies to challenge Wike’s actions.
“I’m going to take those documents and go to the body, the equivalent of his state assembly, and insist that that assembly, the president from whom Wike derives his powers goes back to the National Assembly for approval for everything,” she added.
“Wike, who is deriving powers from him, does not go to the national assembly for anything except budget. TSA, all his IGR, what has he done with it? He’s never accounted for anything.”
On the possibility of collaboration for the benefit of the FCT, Kingibe said Wike has ignored her attempts to reach out.
Obi, Amaechi, Others Meet In Abuja, Discuss Nigeria’s Democratic Future
Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, on Saturday hosted Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and other opposition leaders at his Abuja residence.
Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra central, Achike Udenwa, former governor of Anambra; and Victor Oganku were also at the meeting.
TheCable understands that discussions by the politicians centred on strengthening the opposition front and Nigeria’s democratic future.
Amaechi, Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar are members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and are eyeing the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former minister contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary and came second behind President Bola Tinubu, who won the party’s ticket.
In March, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, said the party was working to adopt a consensus approach in selecting its presidential candidate for the 2027 poll.
Abdullahi said the party had the options of direct primaries and consensus for electing its presidential candidate, adding that indirect primaries were “no longer on the table”, as stipulated in the amended Electoral Act.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, Amaechi said he has positioned himself as a viable contender for the next presidential race on the ADC platform.
Amaechi rejected the call for a consensus arrangement within the ADC ahead of the 2027 poll, insisting that aspirants must be allowed to test their popularity at the ballot.
Peter Obi
He said Nigerians are yearning for competent leadership to address economic hardship and insecurity.
The former governor of Rivers, however, said he would support Abubakar if the former vice-president emerges as the party’s standard-bearer for the 2027 presidential poll.
FG Warns Against Illegal Use Of Ambassador Title, Fake Diplomatic Identities
President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has warned against the rising abuse of diplomatic titles in Nigeria, particularly the illegal use of the designation “Ambassador” by unauthorised individuals and groups.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, in Abuja.
“Some of the persons conferred illegally with the Ambassadorial titles unfortunately parade themselves as such in official communications and even in engagements with foreign embassies in Nigeria which has caused serious embarrassment to the federal government.
“The Ministry warns that individuals parading themselves as “Ambassadors” based on such deceitful conferment are engaging in impersonation, which is a criminal offence and therefore strongly cautions all persons involved in such illegalities or parading themselves as Ambassadors to desist forthwith,” the statement said.
The government also raised alarm over the use of fake diplomatic passports, identity cards, vehicle number plates, and other materials bearing the insignia of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by impostors.
Tinubu
According to the statement, some of those involved in the practice go as far as parading themselves as ambassadors in official correspondence and in dealings with foreign missions in Nigeria, a development it said has embarrassed the country.
It, however, stressed that only the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has the constitutional authority to appoint and accredit ambassadors for Nigeria, adding that no individual, group, or organisation has the power to confer diplomatic titles.
NPF Debunks False Terror Alert In FCT, Arrests Suspect For Incitement
False terror alert in FCT,. The Nigeria Police Force wishes to categorically debunk a viral video circulating on social media alleging an ongoing terrorist attack in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The Force states unequivocally that no such incident occurred, and the claims contained in the video are entirely false, misleading, and malicious.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the video was deliberately curated using misleading footage sourced from online platforms to construct a false narrative aimed at causing panic, inciting public fear, and undermining public confidence in the security architecture of the nation’s capital.
In furtherance of its commitment to maintaining public order, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested one Pam Joseph in connection with the creation and dissemination of the false content. The arrest followed credible intelligence and digital forensic investigations linking the suspect to the origin and circulation of the video.
The Force reiterates that while citizens have the right to freedom of expression, such rights do not extend to the deliberate spread of misinformation capable of threatening public peace and national security. Members of the public are therefore advised to verify information before sharing and to refrain from engaging in activities that may incite fear or disorder.
Police
The suspect is currently in custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to safeguarding public order and national security, and will continue to monitor digital spaces and take decisive action against individuals who engage in the dissemination of false or misleading information.
DCP ANTHONY OKON PLACID psc(+) mni
Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters, Abuja
10th April, 2026
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