Follow Us on Google
By Goli Innocent
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has again challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to cite the law empowering him to declare a public holiday and restrict movement during the just concluded FCT Area Council elections.
Falana maintained that the minister lacked constitutional authority to take such steps, insisting that only the President, the Minister of Interior and state governors are legally empowered to declare federal or state public holidays.
He had earlier faulted Wike’s directive ahead of the Saturday poll, describing it as unlawful.
Wike, however, defended his action while speaking to journalists in Abuja, warning Falana against commenting on every issue without verifying his facts.
The minister said he acted with the approval of the President, based on security reports alleging plans by some individuals to import hoodlums into the FCT to disrupt the election.
In a statement issued on Monday, Falana dismissed the defence as untenable.
Other News
He argued that even the President lacks the constitutional power to issue directives concerning the conduct of elections, noting that Section 160(1) of the Constitution guarantees the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in regulating its procedures without presidential control.
“I challenge the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, to refer to any law that empowers him to declare a public holiday or restrict the movement of citizens during the just concluded Area Council election,” Falana said.
He further questioned whether presidential approval, even if granted, extended to declaring a public holiday.
The senior lawyer also queried Wike’s own movement on election day, asking whether the minister, who is not a registered voter in the FCT, complied with the restriction he imposed.
He raised concerns about whether the order permitted the minister to move freely and allegedly interfere by interrogating electoral officers.
The renewed exchange underscores mounting legal and political scrutiny surrounding the conduct of the FCT polls, with constitutional limits of executive powers now at the centre of public debate.
