The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, has asked the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to reconsider and suspend the movement restriction announced ahead of the forthcoming Area Council elections.
Wike had earlier declared Friday a work-free day and imposed a restriction on movement from 8 pm on Friday to 6 am on Saturday as part of preparations for the local government polls scheduled to hold in the territory.
In a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Matilda Duncan, Kingibe criticised the decision, describing it as unilateral and inconsistent with democratic norms.
She argued that imposing a curfew across the FCT without adequate consultation with key stakeholders undermines constitutional governance.
According to the senator, residents of the FCT are citizens of a democratic republic whose rights to movement and livelihood should not be curtailed without compelling justification.
While acknowledging the need to maintain peace and order during elections, Kingibe maintained that security concerns should not be used to justify what she termed executive overreach.
She warned that the restriction could disrupt economic activities and negatively affect small businesses, daily wage earners, families and scheduled events within the capital city.
She also noted that members of the ECOWAS Parliament are expected in Abuja for a 10-day extraordinary session beginning Sunday, alongside other pre-planned social and official engagements.
Kingibe stressed that curfews are typically reserved for situations involving serious security threats, insisting that the Area Council elections do not warrant such sweeping measures.
She therefore called on the minister to immediately review and suspend the restriction, emphasising that the rights, freedoms and economic wellbeing of FCT residents must not be compromised by arbitrary executive actions.
