FCT poll: Suspend movement ban – Ireti Kingibe to Wike

By Lawrence Agbo

Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has urged Nyesom Wike, the FCT’s minister, lift the movement bans put in place before the local government elections in the FCT.

Wike said on Thursday that Friday would be a work-free day and that movement would be restricted from 8 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Saturday in anticipation of the FCT Local Council elections on Saturday.

In a statement, Senator Kingibe strongly condemned what she called the unilateral declaration of a curfew, calling the minister’s move “authoritarian, ill-considered, and unacceptable in a democratic society.” The statement was signed by her Special Assistant on Media, Matilda Duncan.

The senator made it clear that the decision to enforce a curfew throughout the Federal Capital Territory without extensive consultation with key stakeholders is a clear violation of both residents’ constitutional rights and democratic government.

“The people of the FCT are not subjects under a dictatorship. 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.

Kingibe emphasized that security concerns cannot be used as a general excuse for “executive overreach,” even if he acknowledged the significance of upholding law and order.

She emphasized that families, workers, small companies, and foreign tourists who depend on daily money for existence could all suffer greatly financially as a result of the curfew, as it has been published.

“ECOWAS Parliamentarians will be arriving for a planned 10-day extraordinary meeting starting on Sunday, Set Weddings and receptions, Planned Functions, Marked Events and Embassies.

“Curfews are only warranted when there are SERIOUS security breaches, and there are NONE. This is only just Area Council (LG) Elections.

“Decisions of this magnitude cannot be taken without cause, consultation with stakeholders, and due process.

“The Minister should please remember that he is not the first to administer this territory and this is not the first election taking place here,” she said.

Senator Kingibe, therefore, urged the Minister to examine and suspend the curfew right away.

“The rights, freedoms, and economic well-being of the people of the FCT must never be compromised by arbitrary, authoritarian and draconian executive action.”