Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s decision to appoint Nyesom Wike as a minister, describing it as his greatest political blunder since assuming office.
During an interview on Arise TV on Monday, Senator Kingibe openly condemned Wike’s style of governance, accusing him of ruling in an autocratic manner and completely disregarding constitutional processes and the rule of law.
She stated …
“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 further accused Wike of reinstating defunct agencies without any supporting legal framework, showing a blatant disrespect for due process. She emphasized that proper governance requires adherence to the law and necessary legislative backing, but Wike has failed to follow these fundamental principles.
“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 added.
Kingibe also raised serious allegations against Wike regarding the University of Abuja land. She claimed that Wike unlawfully revoked 7,000 hectares out of the 11,000 hectares initially allocated to the university, which she argued is a clear 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 noted, emphasizing the legal and ethical implications of such actions.
In addition to these issues, Kingibe criticized Wike’s handling of sanitation and employment for indigent women in Abuja. She revealed that Wike dismissed women who were previously employed to clean the streets, a move that not only increased unemployment among vulnerable groups but also left the city looking dirty and neglected.
She said …
“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.
“He comes, he’s fired them all… Then he doesn’t replace them with mechanical street sweepers. So, Abuja is looking dirty.”
Senator Kingibe concluded that President Tinubu’s decision to empower Wike politically has severely undermined his administration and tarnished his reputation among Nigerians.
“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 emphasized.