Wike revokes PDP national secretariat certificate of occupancy, takes over building

The minister linked the revocation to the party’s failure to pay annual ground rents on the property for 20 years.

Ambali Abdulkabeer • March 18, 2025

PDP Building [Credit: Punch Newspaper ]

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revoked the certificate of occupancy of the Abuja national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement addressed to the party’s Chairman on Tuesday, Director of Land Administration in the FCT, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, indicated that the revocation followed the party’s continued refusal to follow the terms and conditions of grant of the Right of Occupancy and failure to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for 20 years.

The statement read, “I have been directed to refer to the above Right of Occupancy granted to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and inform you that the Minister of 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 revocation is in view of your 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, from 1 of January 2006 to 1 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 bills and ground rents on their properties.”

Noting that the FCTA had taken possession of the property, the statement added that the party’s breeches were at variance with “the provisions of Section 28, Subsection 5 (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.”

This development followed ongoing rifts between Mr Wike and the opposition party. The FCT minister is also currently at loggerheads with the PDP chapter in Rivers State over control.

At a recent media parley held in Abuja, Mr Wike blamed the crisis in PDP on purely personal ambitions, vowing never to go down.

The minister stated that the party’s failure to unite its ranks stemmed from the endless efforts of some party members to undermine him.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.