The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, on Monday, made good its threat to seal the Wadata Plaza, national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, following the inability of the party to pay requisite fees regarding ground rents for 28 years.
Officials of the Administration were earlier at the Wuse Zone 5 office of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, where they sealed the premises over non-payment of Ground Rent for 25 years.
Although the FIRS had reportedly challenged the decision of the FCTA, accusing it of witch-hunt, and saying it had paid all fees up till 2023, the administration also challenged the Service to present its evidence of payments.
According to administration officials, even though FIRS was claiming ownership of the said property, official records show a different ownership, an indication that the FIRS may not have registered the Power of Attorney and Deed of Assignment with the Lands department in the FCTA after purchasing it from the original owner.
Bank, petrol station, hotel…
The Administration also sealed a bank branch and a petrol station located in Wuse District over non-payment of ground rents for decades.
According to officials, the bank had not paid ground rents on the building for 34 years.
Officials equally sealed a popular hotel in the area for not paying ground rents for 26 years.
The administration had, in March, revoked 4,794 property titles for failing to pay their ground rents from 10 to 43 years.
Thousands of others who were owing less than 10 years were given a grace of 21 days to pay up or face similar sanctions.
The administration was still reconciling its accounts as of last Friday to ascertain those iwho paid within the grace period.
However, the administration had said it would Monday begin to take possession of the 4,794 properties whose titles were revoked.
The affected bank property was officially allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited.
We’re doing our work – FCTA
The Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, said the Administration was simply carrying out its mandate.
“Today is about walking the talk. We announced this earlier, and we are here to implement what we said, to take possession of all revoked properties, starting with this plot (the filling station),” he said.
According to him, the station had not paid rents for over 10 years, a development which made the Administration to revoke its title in March 2025 after more than a year of notices for compliance.
Galadima said the enforcement would proceed to other parts of the city, including the Central Area, after the Wuse district, urging those who are currently owing to go and offset their liabilities and not wait for a clampdown.
Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, also provided insight into the operations.
He said; “This building is currently occupied by Access Bank Plc, but the title belongs to a private company. The debt has spanned 34 years, and as such, the title has reverted to the FCTA.”
According to him, the FIRS building located in Wuse Zone 5 was sealed for owing 25 years of ground rents.
“This marks the beginning of repossession of over 4,794 revoked properties across the territory,” he said, adding that the affected plots have legally reverted to government ownership and all occupants must vacate or avail themselves of official channels of resolution.
The Administration had on March 13 written the owner of the PDP secretariat, Senator Samaila Mamman Kurfi, notifying him of its decision to revoke his property.
In the letter signed by Nwankwoeze, the Administration explained its reason for the revocation.
Nwankwoeze said; “I have been directed to refer to the above Right of Occupancy originally granted to W. E. Nigeria Limited (MISC 4968) and later assigned to you, and to inform you that the Minister of Federal Capital Territory has in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests and privileges over Plot No. 1970 within Wuse 1, Cadastral Zone A02, Abuja.
The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of 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-eight (28) years, from 1st of January 1998 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 their properties.
“You would please note that the said breaches run contrary to the provisions of Section 28, Subsection 5 (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.
“I am to further inform you that the subject property (Plot No. 1970 within Wuse 1, Cadastral Zone A02, Abuja) has thus reverted to the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Administration will take immediate possession thereof”.
PDP secretariat
“We are now at Wadata Plaza where the PDP is occupying. That is, the property belonging to Senator Samaila Mamman Kurfi, that the PDP is occupying, simply to take physical possession of the property.
“The property had since March been revoked and we have repeatedly told the holders to ensure that they vacate it. We said it at that time that the FCTA will take possession of those properties in due course and that is what we have come to do today,” he said.
Asked whether the owner of the PDP secretariat was duly notified, Nwankwoeze said; “Yes. The property holder who we deal with.
“We don’t deal with occupants, we deal with property owners. We don’t deal with occupants or tenants. Senator Samaila Mamman Kurfi was duly served the revocation notice.
“And out of abundance of caution, we also came here and pasted the revocation notice served on Samaila Mamman Kurfi at his Kaduna address; the address on record.
“Samaila Mamman Kurfi is the owner of the property and the address we have in our records for him is that of Kaduna and we duly served him.
This is a copy of the revocation notice and the evidence of service, served since the 14th of March 2025 and a copy of this was duly pasted at the gate of this building.
“So, I don’t know if you are talking of writing to PDP. We don’t normally write to tenants or occupants. We write to the owners of the property, that is the person with whom we have a contract”.
‘Politically-motivated’
Senior Special Assistant to the FCT minister on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka pooh-poohed speculations that the action might have been politically motivated due to the crisis in the PDP in which the minister, Nyesom Wike, is one of the actors.
“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 too.
“This exercise will continue until 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? Moreover, this place is not owned by the PDP”, he stated.
Challenges FIRS
Nwankwoeze, who noted that the FCT Administration is meticulous about record-keeping, challenged the FIRS and others claiming not to be indebted to the Administration to present evidences of payments.
“We keep good records. In this case, we are talking of 28 years. The owner of this property (Wadata Plaza), Samaila Mamman Kurfi, was owing 28 years ground rent and then FIRS is 25 years. So we keep proper records.
“When you pay your ground rent, you will have to be issued with 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.
“Just like some of them claimed, FIRS also claimed they own the property. But in our records, they don’t. If you buy property, you have to register your interest.
“The property which FIRS is occupying, which we just sealed before coming here, is owned by Fortunate Case Limited. When we got there, they said they own the property. But obviously, they didn’t do what they needed to do, so that they will be recognized as the owners.
“Well, we have just taken physical possession of the property. Any other thing that will happen, will have to be determined in due course. We will not be here to tell you what will happen tomorrow.
“But as of today, we have taken physical possession of the property because the property has already, since March, been reverted to the FCTA. It is just that we are coming today to take physical possession,” he stated.
On the way forward for the after property owners, Nwankwoeze said they can approach the FCT minister who can decided whether to grant them clemency or stick to the rules.
“Well, it will be up to them to approach the Honorable Minister of FCTA. FCTA is the owner of the property as of today.
“If they approach him, and he gives them any consideration, that is it. The minister will decide that. Not me. I am not the Minister of FCT,” he said.
