By Suleiman Ibrahim
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has refuted claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the revocation of its land title was politically motivated, stating that the action was due to unpaid ground rent and affected other institutions as well.
Speaking in Abuja on Friday during a visit from officials of the Body of Benchers, led by Chairman Adegboyega Awomolo, Wike dismissed the PDP’s allegations, asserting that the revocation was purely a matter of non-payment of mandatory ground rent.
He expressed dismay at the PDP’s claims, noting that executive decisions are often misinterpreted due to political, religious, and ethnic sentiments.
Wike explained that land titles of allottees who had failed to pay rent for over 10 years were revoked, including the PDP’s. He highlighted that despite generating between N13 billion and N20 billion from the sale of party forms over the years, the PDP had not paid the N7.6 million ground rent for its land in Central Area, Abuja.
Furthermore, Wike revealed that the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, was not registered under the party’s name but under a senator residing in Abuja, who 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 were shouting oh, they sent Wike to revoke the land as a ploy to kill opposition. What kind of mentality is that?” Wike questioned.
He emphasized that the revocation was not exclusive to the PDP, as institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also lost land titles for the same reason. He mentioned that the CBN had requested a reversal, but he insisted the bank must first settle its outstanding ground rent.
Wike also urged the Body of Benchers to ensure they fulfill their financial obligations, warning that no defaulting allottee would be spared.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Wike approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles on March 17, 2025, affecting individuals, corporate organizations, and government institutions due to non-payment of ground rent for over 10 years.
