PDP elders, not Wike, to blame for land revocation over unpaid ground rent – Minister’s aide

Elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including Chief Bode George, are responsible for the revocation of the party’s national secretariat land in Abuja due to 28 years of unpaid ground rent, not the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

This was stated by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, in Abuja on Saturday.

He criticized Chief Bode George for blaming Wike, despite having been a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) that failed to complete the purchase of the Wadata Plaza national secretariat.

“It is laughable that Chief Bode George, who was in the PDP NWC when the party failed to finalize the purchase of Wadata Plaza, would go on national television to accuse Wike of crossing the red line by revoking the PDP’s national secretariat,” Olayinka said.

Chief Bode George had alleged in a television interview on Friday that Wike’s action was an open declaration of war against the PDP.

Responding, Olayinka expressed disappointment that a party elder would ignore the facts, given that the FCT Administration revoked 4,794 land titles over unpaid ground rent—some for as long as 43 years.

“Why didn’t the PDP pay ground rent for 20 years on Plot No. 243, its national secretariat (under construction), the only property owned by the party among the revoked titles? How does enforcing land regulations amount to a declaration of war? Should Wike have exempted PDP while revoking 4,794 other land titles for the same reason?” Olayinka questioned.

He further clarified that the Wadata Plaza property currently used as the PDP secretariat does not belong to the party but to Senator Samaila Mamman Kurfi, who purchased it from Wadata Enterprises Nigeria Limited.

“In 2005, PDP attempted to buy the Wadata Plaza property. The party was required to pay ₦26.9 million to obtain the Minister’s Consent, but it never did. Instead, PDP wrote to then-FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai, asking for a waiver, citing financial constraints. El-Rufai refused, insisting that the party pay. Back then, Chief Bode George did not accuse El-Rufai—who was a PDP member at the time—of waging war against the party,” he explained.

Olayinka also pointed out that PDP owed ₦7.6 million in ground rent for 20 years on its national secretariat land in the Central Area, despite raising over ₦21 billion in 2014 for the building’s completion.

Advising Chief Bode George to act as a responsible elder, Olayinka stated, “Instead of broadcasting personal grievances against Wike, he should have sought the facts. Even institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), and several government agencies had properties affected by the revocation.”

He questioned whether Chief Bode George would have handled PDP’s case differently had he been FCT Minister, given that 4,793 other landowners were affected.

On party loyalty, Olayinka argued that the electoral results from Wike’s Rivers State and Bode George’s Lagos State since 1998 speak for themselves.

PDP elders, not Wike, to blame for land revocation over unpaid ground rent – Minister’s aide