FCT Minister Wike revokes PDP national secretariat land over unpaid ground rent

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revoked the land allocation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national secretariat in Abuja.

The decision, formally communicated in a letter dated March 13, 2025, cited the opposition party’s failure to settle outstanding ground rents spanning two decades.

The revocation notice, titled “Notice of Right of Occupancy with File No: MISC 81346 in Respect of Plot No: 243 within Central Area District, Abuja,” was issued on Tuesday and signed by the FCT Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze.

According to the letter, the PDP has neglected its financial obligations on the prime property since January 1, 2006, despite multiple public notices urging allottees to clear outstanding dues. The FCT Administration maintains that numerous announcements, both in national newspapers and on electronic media, were made since 2023, warning of consequences for non-compliance.

Invoking the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Wike exercised his ministerial powers to strip the PDP of its rights, interests, and privileges over the property. The letter stated:

“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of the grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for twenty (20) years, from the 1st of January 2006 to the 1st of January 2025. This is despite the many publications made by the FCT Administration since 2023 in several national dailies and on electronic media requesting all allottees of plots in the Federal Capital Territory to pay up every outstanding bill and ground rent on their property.”

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The statement further referenced Section 28, Subsection 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, reinforcing the legality of the minister’s decision. Consequently, the FCTA announced its immediate takeover of the PDP secretariat until all outstanding debts are settled.

This move is part of a wider crackdown on land title defaulters in the FCT. Just days earlier, Wike had approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles across Abuja due to non-payment of ground rents, a debt estimated at a staggering N6.9 billion over four decades.

According to figures released by the FCT Administration, a total of 8,375 property owners in highbrow districts, including Central Area, Garki, Wuse, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape, have defaulted on payments over the past 43 years.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, underscored the government’s persistent efforts to prompt compliance. “The FCTA made numerous publications in national newspapers and announcements on broadcast media since 2023, calling on defaulters to pay up all outstanding bills and ground rents. All these yielded little response, as several allottees failed to pay,” he stated.

Olayinka reaffirmed that the payment of ground rent is not discretionary but a legal obligation embedded in the terms and conditions of land allocation. Under extant laws, allottees are required to remit their dues by January 1 of each year, failing which their titles may be revoked.

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