A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Monday Ubani, has criticised the extended restriction of movement imposed ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.

Ubani spoke on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, describing the directive as excessive.

Reacting to the restriction spanning from Friday night to Saturday evening, the senior lawyer said the directive appears disproportionate, although he acknowledged authorities may have security intelligence unknown to the public.

“Let them take a hard look again at this particular directive. They should take a look at it. I mean, from 8 pm tonight till the following day. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense to me. But they may have a reason, I don’t know, because they see more than we,” he said.

Ubani added that while the directives may appear conflicting, citizens typically comply with security agencies as the primary enforcers.

“The police’s own is different, though. I think we obey the police, though. So when there is conflict, who supersedes? They are the enforcers, so we obey the enforcers,” he said.

‘Not Yet Matured’

Ubani also linked the need for sweeping restrictions to what he described as Nigeria’s evolving democratic culture, arguing that elections in more advanced democracies do not disrupt daily economic activity.

“It all speaks of our political maturity. Maybe we are not yet mature. Because if you watch developed economies when they are conducting their own election, people will just go to the office, cast their vote, and go back to work.

“It absolutely shows some level of immaturity for us to shut down the entire economy because we want to elect leaders,” he stated.

The senior lawyer stressed that both political actors and citizens must commit to peaceful conduct, noting that desperation for power often fuels tension during elections.

Wike’s Directive, Police Order

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, declared Friday a work-free day to enable residents to travel to their communities to vote, a decision approved by President Bola Tinubu.

In a broadcast, the minister announced a separate contrast movement restriction from 8:00 p.m. on Friday to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, directing security agencies to enforce compliance.

He also urged residents to participate peacefully and expressed optimism that the elections would produce leaders capable of advancing development in the territory.

Hours after his directive, the Nigeria Police Force, FCT Command, announced a 12-hour restriction on movement.

In a statement, Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Josephine Adeh, said the measure is to ensure security and smooth conduct of the polls.

“The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Miller G. Dantawaye, has announced a restriction of movement across the Federal Capital Territory from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday, 21st February, 2026, in view of the scheduled Area Council Elections,” the statement read.

The command said only essential service providers and accredited election officials would be exempt, urging residents to remain peaceful and law-abiding.

1.8m PVC Collection

In the meantime, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said preparations for the polls are at an advanced stage, with a strong turnout recorded during the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise.

According to the commission, 1,587,025 PVCs have been collected across the FCT, representing a 94.4 per cent collection rate out of 1,680,315 registered voters.

Kuje recorded the highest collection rate at 97.2 per cent, followed by Abaji (95.0 per cent), Abuja Municipal Area Council (94.5 per cent), Gwagwalada (94.3 per cent), Bwari (93.5 per cent), and Kwali (93.1 per cent).

INEC said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed in all polling units, with results transmitted electronically to its Result Viewing Portal.

The FCT Area Council elections, the only local government polls conducted directly by INEC, will see voters elect six chairmen and 62 councillors across 68 constituencies, with security agencies assuring residents of adequate deployment to guarantee a peaceful and credible process. (Channels TV)