LERE Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said his principal should not be blamed for the revocation of the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the heart of Nigeria’s capital – Abuja.
He stated this on Saturday, March 22, while reacting to an outburst by a PDP chieftain, Bode George, that Wike crossed the red line by superintending over the decision to revoke the land.
Olayinka argued that the party’s leadership, not Wike, should be blamed for failing to pay ground rent for 28 years, which ultimately led to the revocation.
The elder statesman had labelled Wike’s decision a “declaration of war” against the party and questioned why he continued to parade himself as a party member.
Reacting, Olayinka accused the party leaders of failing to conclude the purchase of the Wadata Plaza property, which he claimed the PDP had attempted to acquire since 2005.
He further claimed that the PDP was required to pay N26.9 million to obtain ministerial consent for the property’s purchase but failed to make the payment. Instead, the party sought a waiver from the former FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai, citing financial constraints, but the request was denied.
“The PDP offered to buy the Wadata Plaza property in 2005, and when the minister’s consent was sought, the party was asked to pay N26.9 million. The money was never paid. The party wrote a letter to Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the FCT Minister at the time, to waive the payment, claiming that it lacked the financial capacity to pay, but he (El-Rufai) insisted the party must pay.
“El-Rufai, who insisted PDP must do the right thing by paying the necessary fees to the government was a member of the party then, and Chief Bode George, who was in the PDP NWC, did not go to national television to accuse him (El-Rufai) of declaring war against the party,” the statement read in part.
He questioned whether Wike should be blamed for the PDP’s failure to pay a N7.6 million ground rent for 20 years, despite the party raising over N21 billion in 2014 for the completion of its national secretariat.
He further asked why the PDP neglected to pay ground rent on Plot No. 243, its only officially owned property among the 4,794 revoked land titles.
He argued that enforcing land title regulations could not be considered a “declaration of war” and questioned whether the FCTA under Wike should have given PDP special treatment over other landowners whose titles were revoked for the same reason.
Olayinka highlighted that the land revocation exercise affected 4,794 land titles, including properties owned by government institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
He urged Bode George to verify facts before making public statements, stressing that Wike was simply enforcing the law without favouritism.
The ICIR reported that Wike had approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles in the nation’s capital due to alleged non-payment of ground rent for over 40 years.
One of the land titles revoked was the right of occupancy granted to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Secretariat, at the Central Area, in Abuja.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org