Wike Says FCT Curfew, Public Holiday Backed By Tinubu, Mocks Kingibe Over Criticism

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that the curfew and work-free day declared ahead of the February 21 Area Council elections in the FCT were not his personal decisions but measures approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Wike made the clarification on Monday during a media parley in Abuja, responding to criticisms by the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, over the restrictions imposed shortly before the polls.

The minister said he acted strictly on presidential approval and intelligence security reports, stressing that he neither unilaterally declared a public holiday nor imposed a curfew.

“I never declared curfew. I never declared public holiday. I said, by the approval of Mr President, movement was restricted from 8pm. In essence, people had a free working day so they could travel safely to their area councils ahead of the election,” Wike said.

According to him, the decision was informed by security intelligence aimed at preventing violence during the polls, noting that such measures were not unprecedented during elections across the country.

Wike also took a swipe at Kingibe, dismissing her criticism as uninformed. “That is why we must be careful. I don’t think the senator reads. Maybe she reads love magazines,” he said, drawing laughter from some journalists at the parley.

The minister further argued that low voter turnout in parts of Abuja could not be blamed on the curfew, insisting that mobilising voters is the responsibility of political parties and candidates, not government or the electoral umpire.

“Whose duty is it to mobilise people to vote? It is the responsibility of political parties and candidates. Look at the senator’s own polling unit — only a handful of votes were recorded there,” Wike said.

He added that while turnout was low in parts of the city, participation was significantly higher in satellite towns, where he said residents had “felt the impact of governance.”

Wike’s comments come amid a public spat with Kingibe, who had earlier condemned the curfew and work-free day announced on February 19, 2026 — about 22 hours before the elections. The senator described the move as authoritarian, unnecessary and harmful to residents, particularly daily wage earners.

In a statement issued through her media aide, Matilda Duncan, Kingibe argued that there were no apparent security threats to justify the restrictions, especially with preparations already in place by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies.

She described the curfew as “an affront to democratic governance” and accused the FCT administration of executive overreach, insisting that residents deserved transparency and proper consultation ahead of such decisions.

Despite the controversy, Wike maintained that the measures were lawful, security-driven and taken in the overall interest of peaceful elections in the nation’s capital.