‘I’m Not Being Carried Along In Affairs Of FCT, My Constituency’ – Senator Kingibe Cries Out During Plenary
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Ireti Kingibe, on Tuesday aired her frustration on the floor of the Senate about how the affairs of her constituency are being carried out lamenting that she’s being sidelined.
Kingibe, a first timer in the Senate after several attempts, representing the FCT on the platform of the Labour Party has also had to deal with uprising against her representation from FCT residents.
The Indigenous people of the FCT have complained bitterly against her stewardship threatening to ensure she does not return to the Senate in 2027 as she has failed to identify with them concerning incessant attacks by bandits and armed herders.
The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike has also scolded her several times in the way she goes about her representation and instead identifies with Kingibe’s predecessor, Philip Aduda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Few months ago, she lamented that Wike was not carrying her along in the scheme of things and instead preferred Aduda, to which Wike responded by saying “Aduda has been my friend, that he’s not in power today does not mean I must abandon him. I don’t abandon my friends.”
A visibly frustrated Kingibe while raising her concern under point of order on Tuesday during plenary presided over by the president of the upper house, Godswill Akpabio said, she’s the highest elected office holder in the FCT yet she’s not aware of the budget before the Senate for consideration.
President Bola Tinubu had last week written to the Senate seeking a supplementary bill of N98.5bn for the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
The N98.5bn is in addition to the N1.2tn budget passed in March by the National Assembly.
Rising under orders 10 and 11 during consideration of the budget, Kindibe said, “Mr President, I am the highest elected person in the FCT with over four million people.
“I am not usually carried along in the issues that pertain to the FCT, especially the matters of budget.
“The FCT supplementary budget is presented today but I am not even aware of the whole procedure, I was not invited to any meeting where the budget was discussed.”
But she was, however, interrupted by Akpabio, who requested her order be presented before the house in the form of a motion based on the rule of the house.
It was agreed by all senators present that based on the guiding principles, Kingibe would present the motion during the next sitting (tomorrow).
