THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has denied allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the revocation of its land title was a deliberate move to suppress the opposition.
Wike who made the statement on Friday in Abuja expressed dismay over allegation that he was directed to revoke the party’s land title in the Central Area to suppress opposition.
The ICIR reported on March 18, that Wike revoked the right of occupancy granted to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Secretariat, in Abuja over alleged non-payment of ground rent spanning two decades.
A notice from the FCTA Department of Land Administration, dated March 13, 2025, stated that the opposition party’s acquired land at Plot No. 243 in Central Area, Cadastral Zone Abuja, had not met its financial obligations since January 1, 2006, leading to the FCTA reclaiming the property.
In response, a PDP chieftain, Bode George, in an outburst said that Wike crossed the red line by superintending over the decision to revoke the land.
The ICIR reported that in an interview on Arise TV on March 21, George described Wike’s action as a blatant declaration of war against the PDP and questioned his continued membership in the party.
However, Wike, in his latest defence, noted that executive actions in the country were often interpreted through political, religious, and ethnic lenses.
He added that the revocation of land titles from allottees who had failed to pay mandatory ground rent for over 10 years was often misconstrued as a political move.
Wike noted that despite being in power for several years, the PDP failed to pay outstanding ground rent for its land title in the Central Area, where it was building its National Secretariat.
“ Despite generating between N13 billion and N20 billion from the sale of party forms, the PDP had failed to pay ground rent,” he said.
Wike also revealed that Wadata Plaza, the location of the PDP National Secretariat, was not registered as party property but was instead listed under a senator residing in Abuja.
“The registered owner had failed to pay the ground rent for 28 years, but the PDP continued to claim that the minister was targeting its secretariat,” the minister added.
“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?”
The Minister stressed that the land revocation was not exclusive to the PDP, noting that other institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as individuals, had also lost their land titles for the same reason.
“CBN has been pleading for the reversal of the land title, but I told the bank to pay the outstanding ground rent before the revocation is reversed.” He said.
The ICIR reported that Wike had approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles on March 17, 2025, due to non-payment of ground rent for over 10 years, affecting individuals, corporate organisations, and government institutions.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.