THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT) Administration has revoked the land title of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat in Abuja due to two decades of unpaid ground rent, the Explainer has gathered.
The revocation, authorised by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, was communicated in a letter dated 13 March 2025, titled “Notice of Right of Occupancy with File No: MISC 81346 in Respect of Plot No: 243 within Central Area District, Abuja.” The document, signed by Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land Administration, stated that the opposition party had defaulted on payments from 1 January 2006 to 1 January 2025, despite multiple warnings.
“I have been directed to refer to the above Right of Occupancy granted to PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP), NATIONAL SECRETARIAT and inform you that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has, in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests, and privileges over Plot No. 243 within Central Area, Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja,” the letter read.
It further stated that the revocation was due to PDP’s “continued contravention of the terms and conditions of grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for twenty (20) years.”
The decision is backed by Section 28, Subsection 5 (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to revoke land titles when owners fail to comply with lease conditions. The FCT Administration noted that since 2023, it had published multiple notices in national newspapers and electronic media, urging all allottees to clear outstanding ground rent payments.
“You would please note that the said breaches by PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP), NATIONAL SECRETARIAT (MISC 81346) run contrary to the provisions of Section 28, Subsection 5 (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act,” the letter added.
Wike’s administration has since directed the immediate repossession of the secretariat until all outstanding dues are cleared.
The Explainer gathered that this action aligns with Wike’s broader policy of enforcing compliance with land regulations in the FCT. Earlier, he approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles across Abuja over prolonged non-payment of ground rent.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, property owners in prime districts—including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape—had failed to pay ground rent for as long as 43 years. The total outstanding debt across these areas was estimated at ₦6.97 billion.
“As at the end of 2024 and up till today, a total of N6,967,980,119 is owed as Ground Rent by 8,375 property owners. In other words, a total of 8,375 property owners have not paid Ground Rent up to last year, 2024,” the statement noted.
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A grace period of 21 days was granted to those who had defaulted for between one and ten years, after which further revocations would be enforced.
While the PDP is yet to issue an official response, the move is expected to stir political reactions given Wike’s past ties to the party. The former Rivers State governor was a key PDP figure before joining the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government as FCT Minister.
Analysts believe the revocation could heighten tensions within the PDP, particularly among those who have accused Wike of aligning with the ruling APC at the expense of his former party. Others, however, argue that the minister is simply implementing existing laws and cracking down on long-standing financial irregularities in Abuja’s land administration.
