RismadarVoice Reporters
September 10, 2026
The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has dismissed allegations that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, obtained loans for the FCT without the approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese, a Labour Party lawmaker representing a constituency in Benue State, said there was no evidence that Wike breached any law in financing projects and programmes in the FCT.
He was reacting to claims by Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the FCT, that the territory’s administration had undertaken borrowings without securing the necessary legislative approval.
Kingibe had said she raised the issue with the Senate leadership after examining information obtained from the Debt Management Office covering the period from August 2023 to March 2026.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Agbese said it was misleading to claim that Wike had bypassed the National Assembly in obtaining funds for FCT projects.
He explained that public borrowing was subject to constitutional and statutory procedures involving relevant government institutions, stressing that the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign debt obligation.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
The lawmaker said Wike had continued to subject the FCT Administration to legislative scrutiny through budget presentations and engagements with relevant National Assembly committees.
Agbese also argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile did not, on its own, establish that the administration had engaged in illegal borrowing, noting the scale of infrastructure projects undertaken under Wike.
He urged lawmakers and other stakeholders to base allegations on specific transactions and official records, rather than political claims.
