The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended the imposition of a curfew ahead of the February 21 area council elections in Abuja, insisting that the decision was within his powers and duly approved by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during a media chat at his office on Monday, Wike maintained that as the “governor of the FCT,” he had the authority to take security decisions, including restricting movement.
Responding to criticisms over the restriction of human and vehicular movement from 8 pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday, Wike said the measure was purely for security purposes.
“I have the rights, I am the governor of 3,000 polling units. For security, I have to find out what is going on. I don’t have to be told, I am not a candidate for the election,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor dismissed claims that his presence at polling units influenced the outcome of the election.
“Somebody has said I moved about. How many polling units in FCT? FCT has not less than 3,000 polling units. Assuming I went to 10 polling units to check what was going on, how will it affect 3,000 polling units?
“As a candidate, I cannot move around. I must have my agents. As the Chief Security Officer, I have a right to have a view of what is going on and how does it affect, influence the election?” he queried.
Wike also clarified that the decision to impose the curfew was not unilateral, stressing that it had the backing of the President.
The curfew drew sharp reactions from opposition figures and residents, who described it as excessive and undemocratic.
Among the critics was the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, who accused the minister of acting in an autocratic manner.
Kingibe said Wike’s action amounted to “a direct affront to democratic governance and the constitutional rights of residents.”
“They are citizens of a democratic republic. Any sweeping restriction on their movement and livelihoods must be justified by compelling evidence, subjected to scrutiny, and carried out with transparency,” she said.
