Kingibe: Amazon who unseated three-term senator

Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party emerged last week as the winner of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial seat, displacing Philip Aduda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has occupied the seat since 2011.

This feat achieved by Kingibe has been described as a welcome development, happening just few days before this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).

IWD (slated for March 8 every year) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Kingibe polled 202,175 votes to emerge as the winner, while Aduda came second with 100,544 votes. Angulu Dobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) placed third with 78,905 votes.

For 12 years, Aduda has been the senator representing the FCT, serving currently as the Senate Minority Whip. He previously served in the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2011.

Kingibe, who is one of the few women elected into the 10th National Assembly, was born on June 2, 1954.

She is the wife of Babagana Kingibe, one-time secretary to the government of the federation, and younger sister to Ajoke Mohammed, wife of former head of state, Murtala Muhammed.

Kigibe started her education at Emotan Preparatory School, where she had her elementary education before heading to Queen’s College in Lagos and Washington Irving High School for her secondary education.

She then headed to the University of Minnesota, where she bagged a degree in Civil Engineering.

Kingibe entered partisan politics in 1990 when she joined the defunct Social Democratic Party. She was appointed as adviser to the party’s national chairman.

Read also: Nutrition crisis pushed 7.3M Nigerian girls, women into severe malnutrition- UNICEF

She was the candidate for the All Nigeria People’s Party for the FCT senatorial election in 2003. She defected to the PDP in 2006 but left the party to join the APC in 2014.

In 2015, she ran on the platform of the APC but later withdrew. She joined the Labour Party in 2022 and became the FCT senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election.

On February 28, Sanni Saka, INEC returning officer, announced the result that confirmed Kingibe as the winner of the senatorial seat in Abuja.

“I, Prof. Sanni Saka, thereby certify that I am the returning officer for the 2023 FCT Senatorial district election held on Feb. 25. The election was contested and the candidates received the votes as announced. That Ireti Kingibe, having satisfied the requirement of the law, has been declared the winner,” he said.