'You're not Abuja Governor' - FCT Senator tackles Wike over 8 appointments

Ireti Kingibe, the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has warned the coordinating minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, against acting beyond his without responding to the national assembly.

According to This Day, Kingibe maintained that the National Assembly would carry out the legislative duties to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) as the House Assembly does to the state government.

The senator made the comment while faulting the swearing of eight mandate secretaries of the FCTA that the minister did a few days ago.

She argued that Wike did not have the power to appoint and inaugurate the mandate secretaries and that some of them were indigenes of the FCT.

She said that as the House of Assembly were to the state governments, so was the FCTA to the national assembly.

While addressing her constituency, the senator said:

"The minister does not have executive powers. He works hand-in-hand with the National Assembly and the president to administer FCT.”

The senator reminded her constituency that she was answerable to the people, but Wike was not because she was elected and President Bola Tinubu appointed Wike.

However, she expressed optimism about working with Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State.

Her statement reads in part:

“You must remember that the minister and I have different goals. I was elected by the people; I’m answerable to you, the people of the FC; he is not. But working together, I hope we can merge our interests."