Wike, Kingibe clash over Abuja property seizures

A bitter political and legal standoff has erupted between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, over the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) ongoing clampdown on properties owing ground rent—a move that has seen buildings, including prominent institutions, sealed across Abuja.

The public exchange intensified on Thursday following Senator Kingibe’s strongly worded statement, released on May 26, 2025, via her official X (formerly Twitter) handle, in which she condemned the mass closure of properties by the FCTA as unconstitutional and excessive.

Senator Kingibe described the widespread sealing of properties—including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat and branches of Access Bank—as a gross violation of residents’ rights, warning that such actions could erode public trust and deepen economic hardships.

“The mass closure of buildings violates the rights of residents and business owners,” Kingibe stated. “This approach undermines public confidence and aggravates the already difficult economic climate in the FCT.”

READ ALSO: PDP NEC under pressure as INEC confirms Wike Ally, Samuel Anyanwu, as National Secretary

While acknowledging the importance of ground rent enforcement, Kingibe insisted that penalties must follow due process.

She cited both the Land Use Act and the Urban and Regional Planning Act, arguing that these legal frameworks prescribe fines and surcharges—not “arbitrary and indiscriminate takeovers.”

“No Nigerian’s property can be lawfully sealed or seized solely due to ground rent defaults,” she said, vowing to push for legislative reforms that will ensure enforcement mechanisms respect the rights of landowners.

In a swift rebuttal, the Minister’s office, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, dismissed Kingibe’s position as legally flawed and politically charged.

“It is embarrassingly ignorant for a serving senator to be unaware of the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act,” Olayinka said. “Ground rent is not optional—it is a statutory obligation that cannot be ignored for 10, 20, or even 43 years.”

Olayinka went further, accusing Kingibe of harboring “hatred” for Wike and using her office to shield defaulters under the guise of protecting legal rights.

“Would Kingibe, as FCT Minister, fold her arms while landowners refuse to pay what is legally due for decades?” he asked.

He insisted that non-payment of ground rent constitutes a breach of the Certificate of Occupancy, which could lawfully trigger property revocation under Nigerian law.

The showdown comes on the heels of President Bola Tinubu’s recent 14-day grace period granted to ground rent defaulters, aimed at allowing debtors to settle their arrears without immediate sanctions.

The move temporarily halted further property closures but has not calmed the political storm between key FCT stakeholders.

Despite the verbal firestorm, Senator Kingibe has appealed for calm among Abuja residents and business owners, urging them to remain law-abiding while pledging to pursue legal and institutional reforms.

“We are committed to ensuring that dialogue, justice, and due process prevail,” she said.

The dispute underscores deeper tensions in the FCT’s governance, especially regarding land administration, legal interpretation of property rights, and the balance between enforcing obligations and safeguarding civil liberties.

As the 14-day grace period draws closer to expiration, attention now shifts to how the Tinubu administration and FCT authorities will navigate the fallout—particularly amid growing calls for transparency, accountability, and fairness in managing Abuja’s real estate and land-use policies.