Ireti Kingibe, the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, said if he apologises for comments made about her activities as a lawmaker, she’s willing to work with Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister.

Wike had threatened to unseat the lawmaker in 2027 after he claimed the Senator queried his activities in the territory, including the rot in schools, and the deplorable state of hospitals across the FCT.

The minister in responding to Kingibe’s comments, asked what she had done as Senator representing the FCT, adding that she could go “hang on a transformer” if she was displeased with his and the Minister of State’s progress and successes.

“You, as a legislator, what have you done? How many bills have you sponsored for us to improve our education and health sector? I challenge that legislator. If you are very popular, in 2027 come and run under Abuja, we will fail you.

“The Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, and I have not been in office for more than 11 months and the person is angry that people are praising us. If you don’t want, or you are angry about that, go and hang yourself in a transformer”, he said. 

However, in an interview on Channels Television Political Paradigm, of which a short clip was posted on the broadcast station’s YouTube Channel on Wednesday, the Senator said she would work with Wike if the latter apologises for his comments, noting that she was older and that he shouldn’t have addressed her in that manner.

“I’m actually willing to do everything to work with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as long as he apologises first for saying I should go and hang on a transformer.

“Once he does that, it is all over. We can start afresh but until then, everybody stays in your lane. With all due respect, I am so much older than him. Even courtesy demands he should not speak to me like that.

“He doesn’t understand the concept of the FCT. If he did, it is nothing personal. He says ‘I don’t want to be her friend.’ How does governance translate into friendship?” she added.