The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has dismissed insinuations of political persecution following the recent sealing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat in Abuja.
Speaking during an enforcement exercise on Monday, Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, clarified that the operation was purely administrative and targeted at recovering long-overdue ground rents.
“This is not about politics,” Olayinka told reporters. “We have sealed properties belonging to Ibro Hotels, Access Bank, FIRS, Total Petrol Station and more. If we’re accused of targeting PDP, what about these others? This place isn’t even owned by the PDP.”
The enforcement team, led by the FCTA’s task force, shut several facilities across Abuja, including the PDP headquarters and an office of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), citing unpaid ground rent obligations dating back as far as 43 years.
In total, 4,794 properties are slated for repossession over debts amounting to N6.96 billion.
Olayinka emphasized the administration’s commitment to reclaiming all defaulting properties: “We’ll continue until every one of the over 4,000 properties is accounted for. This isn’t about any party; it’s about due process.”
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The FIRS, whose Wuse office was among those affected, had condemned the move as “malicious” and “unprofessional,” especially as it coincided with a crucial legislative window for tax reform bills.
However, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwakwoeze, rebutted the FIRS’s claim, maintaining that records show a 25-year default on the property in question. “We have accurate records.
FIRS does not own the property; it belongs to Rana Tahir Furniture Ltd. If you buy property, you must register your interest. That was not done.”
As for the PDP Secretariat, Nwakwoeze disclosed that the registered owner, Samaila Mamman Kurfi, had defaulted on ground rent payments for 28 years.
He noted that defaulters seeking to reclaim their property must appeal to the FCT Minister. “As it stands, the land belongs to the FCTA. Any further steps depend on the discretion of the Honourable Minister.”
The crackdown is part of a broader push by the FCT Administration to enforce land use compliance and recoup public revenue lost to decades of non-payment.