Senator Ireti Kingibe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs and representing the Labour Party (LP) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has denied allegations of sponsoring a protest in Abuja.
The allegations surfaced following a statement by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), who claimed that security agencies identified a senator as a sponsor of anti-government protests in the territory. According to Wike, the unnamed senator provided incentives such as food and water to the protesters.
In response, Senator Kingibe clarified that a video being circulated and linked to her involvement in the protest was actually recorded six weeks ago during Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) demonstrations at the Labour Party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Kingibe’s Special Assistant on Media, Kennedy Mbele, issued a statement asserting the senator’s innocence. “I am shocked and outraged by the blatant lies and misinformation being spread by mischief-makers! The video being circulated is from over six weeks ago, during a Labour Party NWC meeting, when the NLC was protesting outside the Labour Party office,” Kingibe said.
The senator emphasized that the footage was from a previous event where she, along with other stakeholders, including Senators, House of Representatives members, and Mr. Peter Obi, engaged with NLC protesters to address their concerns. She condemned the attempts to misrepresent the old footage as evidence of her current involvement in protests.
“This is a malicious and desperate attempt to discredit us. Mr. Peter Obi is not in Abuja, and I haven’t left my house since Wednesday due to illness, much less distributed food and water at the protest grounds, though that would be noble for whoever did,” Kingibe added.
She denounced the accusations as a shameless and irresponsible act, intended to tarnish her reputation and cause confusion. Kingibe urged the public to disregard the misleading video, reiterating her clear stance on the #endbadgovernance protest, as expressed in a recent interview with Channels Television.
Mr. Peter Obi also confirmed in a statement that he was in Anambra State on the day of the alleged protest, further discrediting claims of his involvement in Abuja.
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