Abuja Curfew Sparks Political Clash
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the curfew enforced before the 21 February area council elections in Abuja.
He said the restriction was approved by the President and introduced for security reasons. Wike maintained that his actions were lawful and necessary to keep order across the territory.
During a media chat in Abuja, he said, “I have the right. I am the governor of 3,000 polling units.” He explained that as chief security officer of the FCT, he had a duty to oversee events on election day.
“Assuming I went to 10 polling units to check what was going on, how will it affect 3,000 polling units?” he asked.
Wike said he was not contesting in the poll and had no personal stake in the outcome. “As a candidate, I cannot move around. I must have my agents,” he said.
“But as the Chief Security Officer, I have a right to have a view of what is going on.” He also blamed opposition parties for their results, saying the outcome showed backing for President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party.
The movement ban, which lasted from Friday night to Saturday evening, drew strong criticism.
Senator Ireti Kingibe called it “a direct affront to democratic governance and the constitutional rights of residents.”
She added that residents “are citizens of a democratic republic” and argued that any broad restriction “must be justified by compelling evidence, subjected to scrutiny, and carried out with transparency.”
