The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has explained why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) land title in the Central Area of Abuja was revoked.
The party on Tuesday condemned the revocation of its Right of Occupancy (RofO) to its national secretariat property by the Federal Government.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a chat with journalists in Abuja, alleged that the move was an “attempt to stifle opposition parties in the country.”
However, the FCTA Director of Land, Mr. Chijioke Nwankwoeze, who addressed journalists after the FCT Executive Committee meeting chaired by the Minister, Nyesom Wike, said the land title was revoked because the party is owing N7.6 million ground rent from 2006 to 2025.
He also dismissed PDP’s claim that two of their properties were revoked.
The director insisted that only the land title in the central area belonging to PDP was revoked, saying the one in Wuse Zone 5 does not belong to the party.
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Nwankwoeze said: “The land in Wuse Zone 5 which currently occupies its national headquarters does not belong to PDP.
“It belongs to one Mr. Samaila Ofi, and the revocation notice had been served on him in his Kaduna address, the address on our record.
“We did not serve any such notice to the PDP. The only one we served on them was the one in the central area.
“You don’t serve revocation notice on a tenant or an occupier; you serve on the title holder.”
Nwankwoeze explained that Ofi bought the property from Wadata and got his papers registered by way of assignment, adding that the owner owed a 28-year ground rent totalling N2.85 million.
He revealed that a total of 4,794 land titles had been revoked by the minister.