The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has come out swinging against the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for sealing off its national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, over unpaid ground rent spanning 28 years.
Speaking after an emergency caucus meeting on Monday, Acting PDP Chairman Umar Damagum described the FCTA’s action as “irresponsible” and politically suspicious. He announced that the party would challenge the move through legal means and vowed it would not be intimidated.
“We consider this action not only irresponsible but a deliberate attempt to stifle the opposition. We will resist it through every lawful channel,” Damagum stated.
Though the caucus meeting has been adjourned to 10 a.m. Tuesday, the party leadership kept mum on whether its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting would still hold as planned.
The FCTA had sealed the PDP’s headquarters earlier on Monday, citing a debt of N7.6 million in ground rent, unpaid for 28 years. According to Lere Olayinka, a senior aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the enforcement followed widespread non-compliance by several government agencies and private organisations.
Wadata Plaza was not the only structure affected in Monday’s clampdown. Also sealed were offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)—reportedly owing 25 years’ rent—along with NAPTIP and a commercial bank in Wuse Zone 5.
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The PDP, however, views the move as selective and suspicious, given its position as the country’s leading opposition party.
“This appears to be part of a bigger political agenda. We are watching and will respond appropriately,” a senior party source added.
The FCT administration has recently decried the loss of over N6 billion in revenue from unpaid ground rents. But the PDP insists that due process and political neutrality must not be sacrificed in the name of revenue collection.
The drama sets the stage for a possible legal and political face-off between the opposition and the FCT administration, led by former Rivers Governor and now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike—a former PDP stalwart turned key player in the current APC-led federal government.