The war of words between the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Senator representing the territory, Ireti Kingibe, has yet to end, as Wike’s aide has challenged the lawmaker to present evidence to back her recent allegations of land racketeering involving the minister and his sons.
Responding to Kingibe’s claims, Lere Olayinka, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, accused the senator of making baseless allegations in an attempt to stay politically relevant.
He described her as “an accidental senator” and dared her to present whatever evidence she claims to have to the public and anti-corruption agencies.
Senator Kingibe, during a recent interview on Arise Television, accused the FCT Minister of granting what she described as “illegal waivers” on statutory land charges for two of his sons. According to her, the waivers allegedly reduced land bill payments from N200 million to just N2 million within 48 hours. She claimed to possess documents proving that land allocations were made to Wike’s sons under suspicious circumstances.
“There are waivers that are not supposed to be granted. And these are not just waivers for common citizens — these were for his sons,” she stated, asserting that her documents point to systemic abuse of office within the FCT administration.
In a sharp rebuttal posted on social media, Olayinka said, “Responsible and serious people don’t go on national TV to say ‘I have evidence of corruption by govt officials’; they display whatever evidence they have, release them to the public, and forward same to relevant anti-corruption agencies.”
He went further to accuse Senator Kingibe of impersonation, referencing her use of her estranged husband’s surname. “That accidental senator, Ireti (alias Kingibe), who is impersonating by bearing the name of a man she is no longer married to, should go back to the TV station and display the documents she claimed to have on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike,” Olayinka wrote.
He also dismissed Kingibe’s political strategy, warning that “the Senate seat she got accidentally in 2023 won’t be retained in 2027 using Wike as a launchpad. The earlier she knows and accepts this, the better for Madam Impersonator.”
