BY TONY UDOKA

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has thrown down the gauntlet to Senator Ireti Kingibe, challenging her to visit Abuja’s satellite towns and publicly criticize his performance if she truly believes he has failed as Minister.

In a statement issued Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike’s camp responded sharply to Kingibe’s comments during a Monday night television interview, in which she declared that President Bola Tinubu’s “biggest mistake” was appointing Wike as FCT Minister.

Olayinka accused the senator of being blinded by political desperation and looming defeat in the 2027 elections, claiming she is unable to see the “massive transformation” taking place across Abuja.

He ridiculed Kingibe for allegedly clinging to the name of Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, who he said is no longer her husband and for hopping from one TV station to another in a futile bid to revive a “dead political career.”

He dared her to take her criticisms directly to residents of communities such as Saburi, Dei Dei, Kabusa, Ketti, Yangoji, Pai, Gomani, Gishiri, Kwaita, Yebu, Sukuku, Ebo, and Ushafa, where he insisted visible development has occurred.

He also urged her to visit traders at the Apo Mechanic Village, whose long-stalled relocation is finally underway, and tell them Wike’s appointment was a mistake.

Citing further achievements, Olayinka said the Federal Capital Territory University (FCTU) in Abaji, which has been abandoned for nearly 15 years, is now seeing significant infrastructural upgrades, and that 22 schools have been fully renovated in the past year, with over 40 others currently being worked on.

He dismissed her criticism as purely political, asserting she would not retain the Senate seat she “accidentally” won in 2023, and that her current outbursts are desperate attempts to stay relevant.

Olayinka also accused her of mistreating aides by withholding salaries and entitlements for months, contrasting her with Wike, who he described as far removed from such “frustrated politicians.”

Taking a personal jab at her, he urged Kingibe, at 71, to own her true identity, use her legitimate name, and stop using the surname of a man she is no longer married to.