“You Are Shameless – Your Aides Resigned Over Unpaid Salaries and Immoral Acts”: Wike’s Aide Slams Senator Ireti Kingibe

Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate, has come under sharp criticism from Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, following comments she made during a recent interview. Speaking on Channels TV, Kingibe accused Minister Wike of running the FCT like an emperor and claimed that residents would unite to oppose him during the upcoming local government elections.

Responding in a strongly worded statement, Olayinka described the senator’s remarks as a deflection from her own alleged shortcomings, including the non-payment of salaries and mistreatment of her legislative aides. He urged Kingibe to “stop acting immorally,” and accused her of neglecting the welfare of her staff, many of whom, he claimed, have resigned due to unpaid salaries stretching up to six months.

“It is ironic that someone who treats her aides like slaves is the same person accusing others of authoritarianism,” Olayinka stated. He further alleged that some of Kingibe’s aides resigned not only over unpaid wages but also due to her purported immoral behavior, including an alleged inappropriate relationship involving her boyfriend. He referenced past tensions in her personal life, notably with her estranged husband, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, but said more details would be revealed if necessary.

Olayinka also called on the senator to account for an alleged N3 billion allocation she received last year, questioning how the funds were spent and accusing her of selling constituency project contracts for between 15 to 20 percent of their value.

He emphasized that Minister Wike would not be distracted by Kingibe’s comments, stating that the Minister remains focused on delivering infrastructural development across the FCT. Highlighting recent achievements, Olayinka noted the completion and commissioning of 16 projects as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second anniversary celebrations and pledged that even more would be delivered by the same time next year.