President Tinubu gives 14 days grace as FCTA shuts PDP, FIRS, NAPTIP headquarters over ground rent

The Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the Federal Capital Territory Administration task force for sealing off its national headquarters in Abuja over unpaid ground rent.

At about 2:06 p.m. on Monday, the FCTA task force shut down multiple facilities—including the PDP national secretariat in Wuse Zone 5—citing non-payment of ground rent.

The action sparked outrage within the PDP, with its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, labelling it an act of irresponsibility by the Federal Government.

Speaking after a National Caucus meeting in Abuja, Damagum condemned the closure in strong terms.

“And I want to use this opportunity to tell you—as I am sure you are aware—that our office has been sealed. This is the height of irresponsibility from this government,” he said.

“If they are encouraging it, we are not going to take it lightly. In fact, they can come and arrest all of us. We are ready for that. But we condemn this in totality. It is the height of irresponsibility, and we will not tolerate it.

“They are trying to mar democracy, and this is unacceptable. We condemn it, and we will make sure they have us to contend with in the near future.”

A senior PDP member, who spoke anonymously due to lack of authorisation, confirmed to The PUNCH that the party is indeed in arrears but said efforts to pay have stalled due to missing documentation.

“The property housing our party has no particulars. There was no proper transfer of ownership. So, FCTA is right—we are owing ground rent.

“And now, as small as the money is, we can’t even make the payment because, to do so, we need to submit some documents, which the party does not have. So, as we speak, we are at the mercy of the FCTA and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike,” the source said.

The FCTA had earlier warned it would begin enforcing takeovers of 4,794 properties revoked over ground rent defaults spanning between 10 and 43 years, totaling N6.96bn in unpaid dues.

The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, defended the sealing of the PDP Secretariat, stressing it was a legal—not political—action.

“We are not here for politics. If you are talking about a political witch hunt, we have been to Ibro Hotels, we have been to Access Bank, we have been to FIRS, we have been to Total Petrol Station, and tomorrow we will go to other places.

“This exercise will continue as long as we are able to conclude taking possession of those over 4,000 properties. So, are we also going to say all those that I mentioned are for politics? Moreover, this place is not owned by the PDP,” he said.

The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwakwoeze, also clarified the FCTA’s position, stating that the PDP property had 28 years of unpaid rent and the FIRS property had 25 years in default.

“We keep good records. In this case, we are talking of 28 years. The owner of this property, Samaila Mamman Kurfi, was owing 28 years of ground rent. And then FIRS is 25 years,” he said.

“When you pay your ground rent, you will have to be issued with a receipt of payment. Let the FIRS present the receipt of payment issued by the Lands Department or the FCTA, showing that they paid ground rent for 25 years on the property we went to. So those claims are not completely true.”

He added that although some entities, like FIRS, claim ownership of their occupied properties, their titles are not recognized due to lack of proper documentation.

“Some of them, like FIRS, claim they own the property. But in our records, they don’t. If you buy a property, you have to register your interest.

“The property which FIRS is occupying, where we just sealed before coming here, is owned by Rana Tahir Furniture Limited. When we got there, they said they own the property. But obviously, they didn’t do what they needed to do, so they will not be recognised as the owners,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of defaulters regaining ownership, Nwakwoeze stated:

“It will be up to them to approach the Honourable Minister of FCTA. FCTA is the owner of the property as of today. If they approach him, and he gives them any consideration, that’s it. The minister will decide that. Not me. I’m not the minister of FCTA.”

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu later intervened in the matter, granting a 14-day grace period to affected property holders to pay outstanding debts.

The announcement was made by Nwakwoeze at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday evening.

“Today, May 26, 2025, we commenced enforcement on the 4,794 properties revoked for non-payment of Ground Rent, from 10 to 43 years.

“Properties owned by government institutions, corporate organisations and individuals were affected. This demonstrates the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s commitment to carrying out its functions without fear or favour.

“The President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has intervened. Therefore, by Mr. President’s intervention, holders of the affected properties now have 14 days (two weeks) to settle the outstanding Ground Rents, with associated penalties.”

Punch