The Senator Representing the FCT, Senator Ireti Kingibe has expressed a hope that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike could prevent any violence, particularly in the FCT, and commended the effort if it could be achieved without bloodshed. While addressing her exclusion from a recent meeting between the FCT minister and traditional rulers concerning the upcoming protest, she was indifferent about her exclusion from the meeting.
She maintained that her legitimacy as an elected representative remains intact, regardless of the traditional rulers’ stance or their participation in the meeting. She implied that the traditional rulers are under pressure from Wike, who can influence their actions through financial or authoritative means, suggesting that their attendance does not necessarily reflect their genuine opinions.
She said in an interview with Channels TV, ”I have more support than Wike has with the people. And since everything that has been happening between us, I have never responded to him. It is the people that have responded to him. So if there is no connection between us, they will not be responding to him.”
Reacting to why she has not been carried along in the recent meeting between the FCT minister and the traditional rulers in the FCT over the upcoming protest, she said, “It doesn’t matter whether I was invited or not. I’m still the person that the people elected. The traditional rulers don’t have that power to say no to Wike. He can never call them and they will say they will not come.
If I put a gun to your head to do something, you will do it. He has the ability to take them out, pay them or not pay them. He can call them a 100 times and they will come but it does not reflect their true opinion on matters. And so about the protest. If he (Wike) can stop the protest without bloodshed in the FCT, then kudos to him.”….Seē _ Morē