Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory, has expressed shock, consternation and outraged over what she described as the blatant lies and misinformation being spread by mischief-makers that she was the person funding the nationwide protest.
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike had on Thursday, August 1, 2024 said that security report at his disposal had indicted a serving senator as the sponsor of the nationwide protest in Abuja.
But, in a swift reaction, Senator Kingibe described the allegation as ‘a malicious and desperate” attempt to discredit her and Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023.
These were contained in a statement by Kennedy Mbele, Senior Special Assistant on Media to Senator Kingibe, in which she explained that the video being circulated was over six weeks ago, during a Labour Party National Working Committee (NWC) meeting, when the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was protesting outside the Labour Party office.
She said that as stakeholders, including Senators, House of Reps members, and Mr. Peter Obi, they went out to engage with the protesters and addressed their concerns.
In her words; “Now, these deceitful individuals are trying to pass off this old footage as current, claiming that Mr. Peter Obi and I are leading protests in Abuja yesterday.
“This is a malicious and desperate attempt to discredit us. Let me set the record straight: 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.
“I condemn this orchestrated attempt to spread falsehoods and cause confusion, using it as the basis to claim I sponsored the Abuja protest.
“It is a shameless and irresponsible act that will not be tolerated. We will not stand idly by while our names and reputations are dragged through the mud by these unscrupulous individuals,” she stressed.
