The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has justified the imposition of a curfew prior to the recent area council elections in Abuja.
Speaking during a media briefing at his office on Monday, Wike maintained that he possesses the authority, as what he described as the ‘governor of the FCT’, to enforce a curfew when necessary.
He also clarified that the decision was not taken unilaterally, stating that it received approval from President Bola Tinubu.
The former Rivers State governor dismissed allegations that his presence at various polling units during the 21 February council elections influenced the outcome of the exercise.
“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,” the minister stated.
“Somebody has said I move 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?”
Wike further criticised opposition parties for what he described as inadequate preparation, arguing that the victory recorded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) reflected the performance of the Tinubu-led administration.
The minister has faced backlash from opposition figures and members of the public over the restriction of human and vehicular movement in the FCT from 8pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday.
Among his critics is the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, who described the action as autocratic.
Kingibe argued that imposing a curfew without wide consultation with key stakeholders 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.”