FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has sharply rebutted criticism from Senator Ireti Kingibe regarding movement restrictions imposed ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections, asserting the directives were issued with presidential approval.
The dispute centres on a curfew and movement restrictions announced for Abuja from 8 p.m. on Friday, the eve of the elections. Senator Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the National Assembly, had publicly challenged the necessity and legality of the order. In response, Minister Wike, a former Rivers State governor, stated on Saturday in Abuja that his actions were not personal but were based on authority from the presidency. He expressed disappointment that his earlier statements on the matter had not been carefully reviewed before being contested.
“I don’t want to join issues,” Wike said, redirecting the conversation. “At the end of the election, when the results come out, then we will know who is who.”
His strategy shifts the political argument to the impending results of the Saturday’s FCT Area Council elections. Wike positions these local government polls as the definitive measure of political strength and administrative influence within the territory. The outcome, he implies, will substantiate his administration’s standing and the effectiveness of his approach, overshadowing the controversy over the security directives.
The minister’s stance frames the movement restrictions—a common security measure during elections—as a non-negotiable federal directive aimed at ensuring a peaceful electoral process. Critics, however, often view such pre-election curfews in urban centres as potentially suppressing voter mobility. By tying the issue to the Area Council results, Wike seeks to pivot the public discourse from procedural criticism to an electoral mandate.
The Area Council election, while separate from the state governorship race, is a key political contest in the FCT. It determines local leadership across the territory’s six area councils and is widely seen as a bellwether for political party organisation and grassroots support ahead of larger contests. The results will therefore indicate which political bloc currently commands significant influence in the capital territory.
As polling concluded and results were awaited, the exchange highlighted the ongoing political tensions between the FCT Executive, led by Minister Wike, and its legislative representative, Senator Kingibe. The final Area Council results are now positioned as the arbiter of this public disagreement, setting the tone for the FCT’s political landscape in the coming term.
