The blame for the revocation of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat land in Abuja lies with party elders, not the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, says Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communication and New Media.
In a statement released on Saturday, Olayinka criticized Chief Bode George, a former member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), for accusing Wike of waging war against the party. He argued that the PDP’s failure to pay ground rent for 28 years led to the revocation, making it unfair to blame the FCT Minister.
“It is amusing that Chief Bode George, who was part of the NWC that failed to finalize the purchase of the Wadata Plaza National Secretariat, is now blaming Wike for enforcing the law,” Olayinka said.
Bode George had earlier claimed on national television that the land revocation was a direct attack on the PDP. However, Olayinka countered that the FCT Administration’s action affected 4,794 landowners, including government agencies, who had failed to pay ground rent for up to 43 years.
PDP’s Unpaid Dues and Wadata Plaza Ownership
Olayinka clarified that the Wadata Plaza currently housing the PDP is not owned by the party but by Senator Samaila Mamman Kurfi, who acquired it from Wadata Enterprises Nigeria Limited. He revealed that PDP attempted to buy the property in 2005 but failed to complete the payment of N26.9 million required for the transaction.
“The PDP wrote to then-FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai requesting a waiver, citing financial constraints, but he insisted the payment must be made,” Olayinka explained. “El-Rufai was a PDP member at the time, yet Bode George did not accuse him of declaring war against the party.”
Similarly, he pointed out that the party owed N7.6 million in ground rent for its uncompleted national secretariat in the Central Area, despite raising over N21 billion in 2014 for the building’s completion.
No Special Treatment for PDP
Olayinka dismissed claims that the PDP was unfairly targeted, noting that other major institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were also affected by the land revocation.
“If Chief Bode George were the FCT Minister, would he have treated the PDP differently from the other 4,793 landowners?” he asked.
PDP Performance: Rivers vs. Lagos
Olayinka also took a swipe at Bode George’s political influence, comparing the PDP’s electoral successes in Wike’s Rivers State to its struggles in George’s Lagos State.
“The results from 1998 till date speak for themselves,” he said, implying that Wike had done more for the PDP than George.
As the controversy continues, it remains to be seen whether the PDP leadership will address the longstanding financial lapses that led to the land revocation.
