The simmering dispute between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Senator Ireti Kingibe has shifted from political exchanges to a demand for documentary proof, with the FCT senator challenging the minister to produce the Senate record approving loans obtained by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, made the demand on Thursday while responding to Wike’s rejection of her earlier allegation that the territory’s borrowing was undertaken without the required legislative approval. The senator said the issue was not about disrespect for the minister but about establishing whether the constitutional process for public borrowing was followed.
At the centre of her latest response is the Senate’s Votes and Proceedings, which Kingibe said would provide a clear record of whether the loans in question were formally presented to and approved by the upper chamber.
“As for not getting approval for the loans, I dare the FCT Minister to show the people of the FCT, and all who have asked, the Votes and Proceedings of the day the approval was given,” she said, insisting that she was not aware of any such request being brought before the Senate.
Wike had dismissed the senator’s allegation, arguing that government borrowing for projects is incorporated into the budget and subjected to the legislative approval process. The minister has maintained that the FCT’s infrastructure financing followed due process, while Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has also rejected the suggestion that the borrowing breached established procedures.
But Kingibe has now placed the burden of resolving the dispute on the production of the relevant legislative records, saying public questions over borrowing and expenditure fall squarely within the responsibility of lawmakers.
“If I raise questions about public borrowing, public funds, or the conduct of government, it is not an act of disrespect; it is part of my duty as a legislator,” she said.
The senator declared that occupying a powerful government position could not remove an office holder from public scrutiny, stressing that accountability should remain central to the management of public resources.
“No Minister, no matter how powerful, is above the law. No public office holder is above scrutiny,” she said.
The confrontation has, however, widened beyond the borrowing controversy following Wike’s assertion that Kingibe would not return to the Senate in 2027 and his backing of former FCT Senator Philip Aduda. Kingibe rejected the claim, arguing that the decision over who represents the FCT ultimately rests with voters.
“And no individual has the authority to decide by personal declaration who the people of the FCT will elect in 2027. That decision belongs solely to the people,” she said.
Kingibe also criticised what she described as attempts to intimidate or silence women in public office, maintaining that asking difficult questions about government decisions should not be treated as an offence or grounds for political intimidation.
The senator said she would remain focused on issues affecting the FCT despite the escalating exchanges, declaring that personal attacks would not deter her from scrutinising government activities.
The borrowing controversy dates back to August, when Kingibe raised questions over the FCT’s increasing debt and said she had not seen Wike appear before the Senate to seek approval for loans. The minister subsequently argued that such borrowing forms part of the budgetary process and requires legislative approval.
With the latest exchange, the dispute has moved into a more concrete phase: whether the claimed legislative approvals can be established through official parliamentary records. Kingibe’s challenge therefore puts the focus squarely on the documentation behind the FCT’s borrowing, rather than the increasingly personal political exchanges surrounding the two officials.
