The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the revocation of its land title was a deliberate attempt to suppress opposition.
Wike made this clarification on Friday during a visit by officials of the Body of Benchers, led by Chairman Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), in Abuja.
Expressing disappointment over PDP’s allegation that he was instructed to revoke the party’s land title in Abuja’s Central Area to stifle opposition, Wike noted that executive actions in Nigeria are often misconstrued through political, religious, or ethnic lenses.
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He explained that the revocation of land titles affected all allottees who had failed to pay the required ground rent for over 10 years, emphasizing that this was a standard procedure rather than a political decision.
Wike pointed out that despite being in power for several years, the PDP had failed to pay the N7.6 million ground rent for its land in the Central Area, where it was constructing its National Secretariat.
He criticized the party for generating between N13 billion and N20 billion from the sale of nomination forms yet neglecting to fulfill its financial obligations.
Furthermore, Wike revealed that Wadata Plaza, which houses the PDP’s National Secretariat, was not officially registered under the party but under a senator residing in Abuja.
He added that the registered owner had failed to pay ground rent for 28 years, yet the PDP continued to allege that the revocation was politically motivated.
“Maybe they had a deal with the man and did not complete the deed of assignment and were shouting oh, they sent Wike to revoke the land as a ploy to kill opposition.
“What kind of mentality is that?” Mr Wike asked.
He stressed that the land revocation was not targeted at the PDP alone, noting that other institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as well as private individuals, had also lost their land titles for the same reason.
Wike revealed that the CBN had been appealing for a reversal of its revoked land title, but he insisted that the bank must first settle its outstanding ground rent before any reconsideration.
He also urged the Body of Benchers to ensure they paid their ground rent, warning that no defaulting allottee would be exempted from revocation.
On March 17, Wike approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles due to non-payment of ground rent for over 10 years, affecting individuals, corporate bodies, and government agencies.
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