May 26, (THEWILL) – The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the sealing of its National Secretariat In Abuja.
THEWILL reports that the Secretariat was sealed on Monday by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over its failure to pay the annual ground rent.
Located at Plot No. 243 within Central Area, Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja, the FCTA accused the party of contravening the terms and conditions of grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for twenty (20) years, from 1st of January 2006 to 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 bills and ground rents on the property.
“You would please note that the said breaches by Peoples Democratic Party, National Secretariat (MISC 81346) run contrary to the provisions of Section 28, Subsection 5 (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act”, the FCTA said in a letter to the PDP earlier in March.
Rising from a closed doors meeting with PDP’s Governors and other key stakeholders of the Party to deliberate on crisis rocking the Party, Acting National Chairman of the Party, Umar Iliya Damagum, described the action of the FCTA as the height of irresponsibility.
While vowing to resist the sealing of the party’s Secretariat, Damagum said the move is part of plans to mar democracy.
Damagum said the meeting will continue by 10a.m Tuesday when it would formally addressed newsmen on ongoing developments in the party, particularly the planned National Executive Committee (NEC) early scheduled for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has dismissed accusations that the action of the FCTA was a political witch haunt.
The Minister who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said, “We are not here for politics. If you are talking about 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, we are also still going to other places, and tomorrow we will go to other places.”
According to him , “This exercise will continue as long as we are able to conclude the taking possession of those over 4,000 properties. So, are we also going to say all those ones that I mentioned are for politics?”
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