Kingibe Slams Wike Over FCT Area Council Elections Curfew

Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has criticised the curfew imposed by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, ahead of Saturday’s area council elections.
In a nationwide broadcast on Thursday, Wike declared Friday a public holiday in the capital city to prepare for the polls. He also announced restrictions on movement across the FCT from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Reacting through a statement issued on Friday by her Special Assistant on Media, Matilda Duncan, Kingibe described the directive as “authoritarian, ill-considered and unacceptable in a democratic society.”
The senator argued that imposing a sweeping curfew without adequate consultation with key stakeholders undermines democratic principles and infringes on the constitutional rights of residents.
“The people of the FCT are not subjects under a dictatorship; they are citizens of a democratic republic,” Kingibe stated, adding that any broad restriction on movement must be backed by strong justification, transparency and due process.
While acknowledging the need to maintain law and order, she cautioned against using security concerns to justify what she termed executive overreach. According to her, the curfew could cause significant economic strain on small-scale business owners, workers and families dependent on daily earnings.
Kingibe further noted that there have been no reported security threats in the FCT to warrant such measures, stressing that the elections in question are limited to area council polls.
She called on the minister to immediately review and suspend the curfew, insisting that the rights, freedoms and economic wellbeing of FCT residents must not be compromised by what she described as arbitrary executive action.