A media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has escalated the ongoing feud with Senator Ireti Kingibe by challenging her legal right to use her former husband’s surname.
Lere Olayinka made the controversial remarks during an interview with Arise TV from 8:11, arguing that the senator should no longer bear the Kingibe name following her divorce from Ambassador Babagana Kingibe. “I call her alias as Senator Ireti because she’s not supposed to be bearing that name Kingibe any longer. If you are married to me and I’m no longer married to you and I’ve come out to say stop bearing my name. The husband said that don’t answer my name again; Amb. Kingibe is alive,” Olayinka stated.
The media aide also challenged Senator Kingibe to substantiate her allegations regarding land allocations to Wike’s children, claiming no such allocations exist. He suggested the FCT Minister would not pursue legal action against the senator over the matter.
The dispute centers on Senator Kingibe’s earlier claims that she possesses documents proving Wike allocated substantial land parcels to his two sons in the FCT. The senator had noted that while Wike acknowledged his sons’ constitutional right to own FCT land, she questioned the dramatic reduction of procurement tax from N200 million to N22 million within 48 hours under the minister’s directive.
Olayinka dismissed Senator Kingibe as “an accidental Senator who is worried about her chances of re-election in 2027,” suggesting her criticisms stem from electoral concerns rather than genuine oversight.
The public spat between the FCT Minister and the FCT Senator has intensified in recent weeks, with both sides trading accusations over land allocation policies and administrative transparency in the nation’s capital.
