Ireti Kingibe, the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has responded to comments made by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who stated that he cannot be forced into being her friend.
According to a report by Daily Post, Wike had criticized Kingibe, accusing her of attempting to blackmail him instead of addressing her concerns through appropriate channels or focusing on her oversight responsibilities.
He suggested that Kingibe was upset because the Senate President did not appoint her to the Senate Committee on FCT.
“Somebody wants to be your friend and you say ‘I don’t want to be your friend. Is it by force?," he asked.
However, during an interview with Arise TV, Kingibe questioned the basis of Wike's comments about friendship, noting that they had never met outside of Senate committee meetings.
She expressed confusion over the notion of wanting to be friends with someone she did not know and criticized Wike for refusing to communicate with her, thus hindering her ability to relay the needs and wishes of the people of FCT to him.
"What constitutes friendship between two people who've never met each other, I've never sat in the same room with the minister except in a Senate committee. How does friendship arise? Why would I want to be the friend of somebody I do not know? The truth of the matter is that the Minister refused to speak or communicate in any way with the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory. So, how are the wishes and the needs of the people [going] to be communicated to him?," she asked.
Watch from 5:35 to 6:06