Senator Kingibe Doubts Labour Party is Electable, Slams Wike as ‘Emperor’

Labour Party Senator Ireti Kingibe says the party is too divided to win any election in its current state.

“Labour Party is in some sort of a quagmire,” she said. “We are trying to put it together, but I do not see the Labour Party in the present way it is as a vehicle that can win any election.”

The Senator, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), made the statement during an interview on Channels TV’s Political Paradigm.

Despite still being in Labour Party, Kingibe has publicly declared her support for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the new platform adopted by a coalition of top opposition politicians.

“Yes, I am still a member of the Labour Party, but I support the ADC,” she stated.

‘Wike Has Emperor Mentality, Doesn’t Care About Abuja People’

Kingibe also took aim at FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, accusing him of neglect and arrogance.

“He has an emperor mentality,” she said. “He is not sensitive to the plight of the people of the nation’s capital.”

The senator accused the minister of withholding salaries and shutting her out of the FCT budget process.

“If being less antagonistic to the minister would help bring development to the people, then fine,” she added. “But it’s not made any difference.”

Kingibe and Wike have been in conflict since taking office. Though Wike belongs to the PDP, he works with the APC-led government. Kingibe was elected under the Labour Party.

Opposition Unites Under ADC Platform Ahead of 2027

Amid rising inflation and hardship under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the opposition has begun to rally under one banner.

On July 2, 2025, key political figures—including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, David Mark, Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rauf Aregbesola—formally adopted the ADC as the preferred platform.

The coalition is relying on the strength of Atiku and Obi’s combined votes in the 2023 election—over 12 million in total, more than 4 million more than Tinubu’s declared tally.

Kingibe said the Labour Party’s internal crisis has made it impossible to use the party as a platform for FCT local elections.

“There are two factions of the Labour Party right now,” she said. “We needed a platform. Labour Party would have been that platform, but it was broken.”

She insisted the ADC offers a stronger path forward. “I know the FCT can win, not on APC. So, ADC has credible candidates, and it is that platform we are going to use to show them.”

On whether she would completely dump the Labour Party, she replied, “Maybe, I might eventually.”

‘Wike Failed on Security, Infrastructure, and Public Services’

The senator also criticised Wike’s record on safety and basic services in Abuja.

She blamed the minister for the rise in “one-chance” robbery, kidnapping, and insecurity in the city.

“Abuja roads are in pitch darkness,” she said. “No streetlights, and that fuels insecurity.”

Kingibe said the minister was not investing enough in healthcare, education, and agriculture.

“There should be more money in these areas,” she insisted.

She claimed that former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai outperformed Wike on infrastructure.

At one point, she said, she even reported the minister to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, after Wike abruptly ended a phone call she placed to him in a bid for reconciliation.

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