Wike revokes PDP National Secretariat land over unpaid ground rent

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revoked the land allocation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national secretariat in Abuja over unpaid ground rent spanning two decades.

This decision was formally communicated through a letter dated March 13, 2025.

The revocation notice, titled “Notice of Right of Occupancy with File No: MISC 81346 in Respect of Plot No: 243 within Central Area District, Abuja,” was issued on Tuesday and signed by the FCT Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze.

According to the letter, the PDP had failed to meet its financial obligations on the prime property since January 1, 2006, despite repeated public notices urging allottees to clear their outstanding dues.

The FCT Administration stated that multiple announcements had been made in national newspapers and on electronic media since 2023, warning defaulters of the consequences of non-compliance.

Minister Wike, invoking the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, exercised his ministerial powers to strip the PDP of its rights, interests, and privileges over the property.

“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of the grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for twenty (20) years, from the 1st of January 2006 to the 1st 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 bill and ground rent on their property,” the letter stated.

Citing Section 28, Subsection 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, the FCT Administration justified the revocation and announced its immediate takeover of the PDP secretariat until all outstanding debts are settled.

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This move is part of a broader effort to enforce compliance among land title holders in Abuja.

Days before this revocation, Wike had approved the cancellation of 4,794 land titles across Abuja due to non-payment of ground rents, with the accumulated debt reaching an estimated N6.9 billion over four decades.

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Figures released by the FCT Administration revealed that a total of 8,375 property owners in prime districts, including Central Area, Garki, Wuse, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape, have defaulted on payments over the past 43 years.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister emphasized the government’s repeated efforts to secure compliance.

“The FCTA made numerous publications in national newspapers and announcements on broadcast media since 2023, calling on defaulters to pay up all outstanding bills and ground rents. All these yielded little response, as several allottees failed to pay,” he stated.

Olayinka reaffirmed that the payment of ground rent is not optional but a legal obligation embedded in the terms and conditions of land allocation. Under the existing regulations, allottees must remit their dues by January 1 of each year, or risk having their titles revoked.

With this latest move, the FCT Administration has signaled its resolve to ensure compliance with land tenure laws and recover overdue payments critical to Abuja’s urban development.