INTERVIEW: I’m Running For FCT Senate Seat Because Philip Aduda Is Not Doing A Good Job -Ireti Kingibe

Hajia Habeebah Ireti Kingibe, a 1980 Civil Engineering graduate of the University of Minnesota, United States, is the wife of Amb. Babagana Kingibe, a former Secretary to the Federal Government.

After working briefly in the United States, she returned to Nigeria where she has worked in both the private and public sectors.

She has also been a frontline philanthropist and outstanding advocate of women’s empowerment in the country.

Born of a Muslim father, who is half Yoruba and half Fulani, and a Christian mother, with links to Delta and Bonny in Rivers State, Hajia Kingibe sees herself as the perfect person to represent the nation’s capital, being a living symbol of unity in diversity.

Hajia Kingibe, who’s the younger sister of Nigeria’s former First Lady, Ajoke Mohammed, is the Labour Party Candidate for the FCT Senatorial Seat.

In this interview with ISUMA MARK, she explains her desire to make the FCT work for all Nigerians.

What Is The Motivation To Represent The FCT At The Senate After Several Attempts?

The same motivation that has always been to serve. I have contested several times, but most times, I’ve only aspired for the ticket.

This is the first time I’ve gotten the ticket in several years of trying, and it is basically to serve. Had I seen candidates better than myself or thought that the incumbent was doing a good job, I probably would not run.

But at the end of the day, seeing the state of things in the country and specifically in the FCT, I felt that I could do…I could offer better representation, and that’s why I’m running.

I feel that I can provide credible, capable, transparent leadership and that’s where I am.

At The Time You Joined The Labour Party, Did You See Any Sign That It Would Be One Of The Biggest Parties In The Country?

I didn’t see anything. The Labour Party actually came looking for me. I had resigned from APC, where I was a leader for FCT. I had said that politics was going nowhere and I didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, truthfully. So, I was thinking of maybe relocating. But I was done with politics.

So, after I resigned, several parties came to look for me, offering me their tickets, saying, Well, ‘Hajiya, we know the kind of leadership you can provide, since the problem has always been by having you on the ballot. Here’s our party ticket to begin with’.

I think I joined the party before the Labour Party became the way it is now. First of all, the first party I considered was APGA (All Progressives Grand Alliance) but I didn’t feel that it would meet my needs.

I also had requirements for the parties. It wasn’t just enough for them to say ‘come take our tickets’. I also had my conditions for the parties and then I considered NNPP.

They also did not quite meet my needs in the sense that the party was not as united as I would like a party to be, for me to be running in it.

Then there was Labour. They also came and Labour was very insistent. They would not take no for an answer. The others were very easily discouraged.

So, that was fine. Labour was not agreeing to the fact that I said I was done with politics and my conditions of no trading,no paying anybody money, all those things.

That’s how I became their candidate, I ran unopposed in the primaries. So, when I say Labour chose me, they actually did. And then maybe shortly after we joined, Obi became the candidate.

And then over a period of time, Labour became the most viable option for everybody. We all needed something fresh, and Labour offers hope, that’s why I’m in Labour.

Do You Think You Have Any Chance At The Senatorial Election?

There is a chance. Yes. I think the chances are very high that I will clinch the seat this time around and the party has been a good party. It has the problems of being very young and growing.

But apart from that, it’s a party that has a future that we can do so much with, not just for me, but for other people who aspire to be councillors and chairmen. I see a lot of potential in Labour.

The Occupant Of That Seat You Are Up Against Is Regarded As The Father Of FCT Politics. He Has Been There For Long And Has Remained Undefeated. What Do You Think You Are Doing That’s Different To Ensure Your Victory?

For one thing, he’s been undefeated because we’ve always had a choice between him and somebody much worse than him. That’s always been. In 2015, I really wasn’t paying attention to how he was faring, I just worked for APC, I wanted APC to win the presidential election and worked hard for the senatorial, even though at the time I was skeptical about us winning senatorial but I knew that we could make big inroads for presidential.

But I know that in 2019, even people like me thought he was a better option than the one APC was offering. And had I not offered a third option, it would have been the same old thing. We know how that always happens.

It’s not something we want to discuss here publicly, but we know how come it’s always been Senator Aduda and somebody less viable. This means at the end of the day, you’re given a lime and a lemon to pick.

So, let’s see what the election results show whether I am the person to defeat him or not.

Are You Talking About Some Dirty Games Like Financial Inducement Which Has Always Worked In His Favour?

No, no no no! Financial inducements don’t work for general elections. They only work during the primaries.

Are You Talking About Vote Buying?

Not vote-buying. We don’t buy votes in the FCT. The electorates are educated.

Are You Protecting Your Biggest Rival?

No, I’m not protecting him. I don’t make allegations that I suspect, I make the ones that I can stand by. But those of us in the FCT know how our APC candidates emerge.

We never have freedom for primaries, Aduda arranges how and who gets to be his opponents, not through the party and the rank and file of FCT. If they had a say, the results will be different, they never do.

So let’s leave that. This time around, It’s not a two-horse race, it is a three-horse race. So let’s see what happens.

Why Do You Think He’s So Influential To Control Everything In The FCT?

He’s not influential, he has a lot of money. And if you have people who are in charge of a process, who are about money, don’t take influence. It just takes money.

What Will You Do Differently If You Were Elected In February?

Everything that Aduda has not brought to the table. For one thing, I will represent everybody’s interest, not just that of one tribe. That’s number one. Number two, I will make sure that everything that FCT needs to have, that we are given, because we have quotas, like for employment, so many things that are not redeemed because ‘there must come to my family or my tribe. or let’s forget’, it will not happen.

Thirdly, I come to the FCT with a plan, all the policies that need to be passed so that it can function properly, in an efficient manner, I will make sure they get past.

I will also keep an eye on the intervention funds, different ones that are meant to come to FCT that need proper representation to get them access. I will make sure we access them and I can go on and on and on. I am coming to the FCT to work not to move to a bigger house or earn more money.

In fact, as I keep saying to people, a good chunk of my salary as a Senator of the FCT, I will donate into a fund for the FCT.

So, I come with a totally different attitude from Senator Aduda’s.

The Abuja Natives Are Canvassing For A Full State Status For The FCT, Do You See That Happening If You Win The Senatorial election?

It cannot be, it is the Federal Capital Territory. It’s already been set up by law. I cannot single-handedly change it. Nobody can. But within that law, I can protect their interests. I can give them concessions.

I cannot change Abuja for being the Federal Capital Territory, that’s done. So, we can agitate as much as we want even if I was an indigent, which I practically am, because I’ve been living here on and off since 1988, that will not change.

But as some very educated young people have said to me, ‘Madam, you can create an educational fund for indigenous people; you can create a tourist village’. There are many things that can be done.

I can pass an integration bill, meaning that anywhere you come to, you have to integrate the people you find there in your development process. There’s a lot that can be done to make them feel that they belong.

I will make sure that there is inclusion in Abuja. Everybody will feel included in Abuja. That is my goal.

Would You See To The Agitation For Increase In The Number Of Federal Constituencies To Increase The Number Of Senators And House Members In The FCT?

There are so many things the city needs before we get to that point. And if we achieve everything we want and we have made this place the best place, then we can talk about increase.

There are lots of other places where it’s only 6 Local Governments or Area Councils as we call them.

So, it’s not like it’s one senatorial seat and 18 local governments. If I’m complaining about Abuja, what do you want people in Kano to say, or even Lagos or my Maiduguri?

In my opinion, it’s not a priority. That is not what is causing the lack of good representation and governance. It is the fact that we are not electing credible leaders.

Your Party Has Been Talking About Vote Buying And Warning Against It. Are You Scared Going By Who You Are Up Against?

No, because FCT, even in the days of when there were no BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) and we could rig; FCT, AMAC and Bwari where the bulk of the votes are in the FCT, are not exactly the kind of places you’re going to go and buy vote.

How many people do I want to give N500 at Hilton Junction? There’s a lot of votes in AMAC. 50 percent of Abuja votes are in AMAC, 25 percent in Bwari, the remaining 25 percent are in the other four area councils.

So, the truth of the matter is, in the places where you need the votes, the electorate there is enlightened. They are civil servants; they’re educated and therefore are not the kind of electorate you can buy.

So, it’s never been a major issue for us. You can try in the past local government elections where nobody comes out and nobody’s interested, but not for major elections like National Assembly and presidential.

How Are You Using Your Campaign To Mobilize For Your Presidential Candidate To Win The Election?

I would say very well considering that a lot of it, the campaign going on here, we are doing for him in the FCT. He is yet to come and campaign in the FCT, which he will do sometime next month.

He’s gone to one or two places here, but yes, I would say I am mobilizing heavily for him. We all are. The party as well as the support groups and myself, the House of Representatives candidate for Abuja North, Chinedu Obika, the other House of Representatives in Abuja South, Joy Ohiomero, every time we go out for campaign, we ask people to vote for all of us. So, we are campaigning for him.

Do You Feel The Time Has Come For A Change In Representation In The FCT, Do You Feel It?

Yes, I do feel that the time has come for that change and I know for certain that in the FCT the time has definitely come for that change. Nigerians are tired.

Most Nigerians are tired and they feel the time has come for them to take their own destiny into their hands. It also feels that, there’s hope. There’s always hope in something you’ve not had, which is the Labour Party.

They’ve tried APC, PDP, and they have not been satisfied in the sense that their hopes and dreams haven’t exactly been fulfilled. So, they’re hoping and banking that if they go out and elect us, things will change as I know that they will.

If they do elect us because we’re different from the norm. Obi is not like Atiku or Tinubu, I am not mocking them. He’s different.

He’s younger, knows exactly why he’s running. Obviously, he’s rich already from being a businessman and an entrepreneur.

He’s not going there to look for money. You can see from what he’s done in Anambra that he does have the capacity. So, you can judge people from what they do with a small space, how you can extrapolate what they’re going to do in a larger space.

Now in the FCT. I have worked for the people in different capacities on my own. I’ve never been in government, I have always been in the private sector.

Chinedu Obika has been a councillor. So, we have antecedence. Everybody, especially at the grassroots because at the end of the day, the grassroots are more concerned with their local representation because those are the people that they are going to interact with.

They’re the ones they are usually going to have access to. So yes, the people need a change and I know and believe that change is now.

What Can You Say About People Who Are Saying Labour Party’s Growth And The Whole Obidient Movement Starts And Ends In The Social Media And Won’t Translate To Actual Votes On Election Day?

That’s not so. You saw when we had the Million Man March in FCT. Those were real people, and I’m in the grassroots. I go to the villages, I go to the markets and I campaign on the streets and most places I go to the people are for Labour.

I can only swear to that in the FCT, but they are and you can see us from the rallies in Kaduna, from the rallies in Niger. The truth is that we don’t give any money to come. We don’t have any money, so we cannot pay anybody to come to any of our rallies. So, whatever you see happening at rallies is totally and completely organic.

You Are Regarded As A Calm, Cool And Gentle Woman Who Cannot Run Roughshod As A Woman With Opponents In A Tough Political Environment, How Are You Doing It?

Well, I have run against Aduda even in primaries that were weighted and loaded against me because he was the government candidate and asked them how I fared. I have always come, even when the government was struggling to give Aduda the ticket, I’ve always come next to him.

So, he knows me and every time Aduda’s goal has always been that he must never come up against me in a general election. Yes, the terrain may be a little bit violent sometimes, but I have been in it for a while and FCT has become fairly familiar to me.

I doubt there’s any place where they are struggling to harm me. I’m known here. Maybe I haven’t been in government like Aduda, but I would think that I’m almost as well known as he is.

You Think Aduda Would Be Scared Of You Right Now?

You can ask him that question. I know he should be, but whether he is or not, it’s something he has to tell you.