Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the revocation of its land title in Abuja was a political move aimed at suppressing opposition.
Speaking on Friday during a visit by officials of the Body of Benchers, led by Chairman Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), Wike expressed disappointment over the PDP’s claims.
He explained that the revocation was part of a broader effort to enforce compliance with land regulations and was not targeted at any political entity.
According to Wike, the affected allottees, including the PDP, had failed to pay the mandatory ground rent for over 10 years.
He noted that political, religious, and ethnic sentiments were often linked to executive actions, even when they were purely administrative.
The minister revealed that despite generating billions of naira from the sale of nomination forms, the PDP had neglected to pay the N7.6 million ground rent for its land in the Central Area, where it was constructing its National Secretariat.
He further clarified that the Wadata Plaza, which serves as the PDP’s current headquarters, is not registered under the party but in the name of a senator residing in Abuja. The registered owner, he said, had failed to pay ground rent for 28 years.
“Maybe they had a deal with the man and did not complete the deed of assignment, and now they are shouting that Wike was sent to revoke the land to kill opposition. What kind of mentality is that?” Wike questioned.
The minister emphasized that the revocation exercise was not limited to the PDP, as other entities, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), were also affected due to non-compliance.
He urged the Body of Benchers to ensure they settled their outstanding ground rent, warning that no defaulter would be exempted from the government’s enforcement drive.
The FCT administration recently revoked 4,794 land titles over non-payment of ground rent for over a decade, affecting individuals, corporate organizations, and government institutions.