Sen. Kingibe slams FCT curfew, calls Wike’s pre-election order “authoritarian”

By Johnson Arua

Ireti Kingibe, Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has strongly 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 and announced restrictions on human and vehicular movement from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday to ensure a smooth electoral process.

Reacting in a statement issued Friday by her Special Assistant on Media, Matilda Duncan, Kingibe described the minister’s decision as “authoritarian, ill-considered, and unacceptable in a democratic society.”

She argued that imposing a sweeping curfew across the FCT without broad consultation with key stakeholders undermines democratic governance and infringes on residents’ constitutional rights.

“The people of the FCT are not subjects under a dictatorship,” Kingibe said. “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.”

While acknowledging the need to maintain law and order, the senator stressed that security concerns should not be used to justify executive overreach.

She warned that the curfew could inflict serious economic hardship on small businesses, workers, and families who depend on daily earnings.

Kingibe further noted that there are no reported security threats in the FCT that would warrant such measures, pointing out that the election in question involves only area council polls.

She maintained that decisions of this magnitude require proper justification, consultation, and adherence to due process.

The senator called on Wike to immediately reconsider and suspend the curfew, insisting that the rights, freedoms, and economic wellbeing of FCT residents must not be compromised by what she termed arbitrary executive action.