The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party that the revocation of its land title was a tactic to suppress the opposition.
Wike made this clarification during a visit by officials from the Body of Benchers, led by Chairman Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, in Abuja on Friday. As a life bencher himself, Wike expressed disappointment over the PDP’s accusation that he had been directed to revoke the party’s land title in the Central Area of Abuja to stifle opposition.
He explained that political, religious, and ethnic sentiments often cloud executive actions in the country, and the revocation of land titles for those who had failed to pay mandatory ground rent for over a decade was frequently misinterpreted as a political maneuver.
Wike pointed out that the PDP, despite being in power for many years, had failed to settle its N7.6 million ground rent for its land title in the Central Area, where it was constructing its national secretariat. He highlighted that, even with revenue generated between N13 billion and N20 billion through the sale of party forms, the PDP had not paid the ground rent.
Additionally, Wike noted that the Wadata Plaza, the location of the PDP’s national secretariat, was not registered under the party’s name but rather under a senator residing in Abuja. The registered owner had not paid the ground rent for 28 years, yet the PDP continued to claim that Wike’s actions were 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?” Wike remarked.
He emphasized that the land revocation was not an isolated issue affecting only the PDP, citing other institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as well as individuals who had also faced revocation for similar reasons. Wike noted that the CBN had been pleading for the reversal of its land title revocation but was told to pay the outstanding ground rent before any reversal would occur.
Wike also urged the Body of Benchers to ensure they paid their ground rent, warning that no defaulters would be exempt from similar action. On March 17, 2025, Wike had approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles due to non-payment of ground rent for over 10 years, impacting individuals, corporate organizations, and government institutions.
