By Seyi Babalola
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has told the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, that he cannot be coerced into becoming her friend.
Wike chastised the Senator, accusing her of blackmailing him rather than addressing her concerns through the appropriate channels or, better yet, focusing on her oversight responsibilities.
The former Rivers Governor revealed this in an interview with the media in Abuja, claiming that the legislator is upset because the Senate President turned her down for a seat on the Senate Committee on FCT.
“I don’t want to be personal…she’s the Senator for FCT. She went around saying ‘oh, oh Wike is busy scraping roads…I should leave the roads till when the potholes come?” Wike said.
“Somebody wants to be your friend and you say ‘I don’t want to be your friend. Is it by force?’ The problem is that she wanted to be Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT and the Senate President said ‘I’m not giving you’.
‘What are you going to supervise me? You cannot supervise me. What is her interest, that I must see her? If I have a problem I’ll go and see her. I don’t have a problem. Nobody can intimidate me. Look, I was a Minister before. I became a governor of one of the most important states in Nigeria and she thinks that the only way you can bring me is to go to Channel, TVC, saying the Minister is not carrying me along.
“I don’t have the back to carry. It’s not about blackmailing. Do the right thing. You know her problem? She ran election with my friend Philip Aduda and she sees me taking Philip everywhere instead of her being the Senator. Should I abandon my friend because she failed election?” Wike queried.
