Senator Ireti Kingibe has detailed a heated telephone confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, which escalated to the point where Senate President Godswill Akpabio had to intervene.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Friday, Kingibe described repeatedly calling Wike over an urgent matter until he finally answered, only for the exchange to devolve into a shouting match. Both parties raised their voices before abruptly ending the call, she recounted.
“I have Wike’s number, and he has mine number too. I know I have the right number. I have called him before. He didn’t answer, and I kept calling and calling till he picked up the phone. And then he proceeded to yell at me. We yelled at each other for a few minutes, and we put the phone down,” Kingibe said.
She added that she even offered to meet Wike in person, asking, “Are you in your office? Let me come and see you.” But Wike rebuffed her, responding, “No, no, no, don’t come yet here.” Kingibe noted that Wike “sounded as if I was going to harm him,” highlighting the intensity of the moment.
The dispute was ultimately resolved when Akpabio stepped in, organizing a three-way call that allowed the parties to address the issue. Kingibe emphasized her determination to reach Wike, stating, “For me, that issue was urgent, and that’s why I called him. And I was determined that he was going to pick it up.”
While Kingibe did not disclose specifics of the disagreement, the incident underscores ongoing frictions between the FCT’s legislative and executive arms.
The matter was settled following Akpabio’s mediation, averting further escalation.
