FCT Polls: ‘She Reads Love Magazines, Not Briefs’ – Wike Tackles Ireti Kingibe
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, over her criticism of the restriction of movement during the just-concluded area council elections in Abuja.
Speaking during his first monthly media parley for 2026, Wike dismissed allegations that he imposed a curfew, insisting that the directive restricting movement was approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The minister maintained that contrary to public claims, he neither declared a curfew nor a public holiday in the FCT.
“Let me answer one question that I declared curfew, I heard when the senator said so,” Wike said.
“I never declared a curfew, public holiday, and I said by the approval of Mr President movement is restricted from 8 pm.”
He explained that the President had granted a work-free day to enable residents travel to their respective area councils to vote without returning late at night.
“If she heard my speech I said by the approval of Mr President, who had said for people to go back to their area council where they come from that he has given a work-free day, so that you don’t go back late as against Saturday,” he stated.
Wike also mocked Kingibe, suggesting she failed to properly understand his earlier remarks.
“I know she doesn’t read, she reads love magazine and all those things. If she heard my speech…” he said, trailing off as he reiterated that the directive had presidential backing.
He added that security intelligence informed the decision to restrict movement in order to forestall possible violence.
“As a minister who represents Mr President, the security reports I have, they do not have it.
“We have intelligence report and we didn’t want anybody to say violence in the election and this is not the first time,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor further alleged that the senator and her allies had earlier vowed to use the local government election to “teach him a lesson.”
“Remember the senator representing the FCT has said that they will use the local government election to teach me a lesson that FCT is not Rivers State.
“Therefore, I believe that they ought to have prepared,” he said.