FCTA unseals other offices, ignores PDP headquarters despite Tinubu’s directives
Over 24 hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave a directive to unseal properties confiscated due to non-payment of ground rent, the national headquarters of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is still under lock and key.
On Monday, officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) embarked on the mass sealing of properties, triggering an outcry.
President Tinubu later intervened and ordered the unsealing of the defaulting properties.
The President had given defaulters 14-day grace to pay the ground rent with a penalty of ₦2 million. He also advised them to regularise all their land titles before the deadline.
READ ALSO: FCTA seals PDP headquarters in Abuja
But the PDP headquarters at Wuse Zone 5 in Abuja at about 10:15am on Wednesday was still padlocked, while a seal of FCTA was pasted beside the lock.
Some staff of the party were seen sitting outside the main gate, while others loitered around, lamenting the development.
A staff member who spoke with Daily Trust off the record said he suspects that there is an underlying instruction that PDP should not be opened.
“I was here yesterday when the FCTA staff came around. They went to FIRS, Ibro Hotel, and NAPTIP and unsealed all of them. When they got to our office, they quickly drove away.
“I followed them to their office and met with the director of lands but he said that they are still waiting for instructions from AGIS to unseal PDP.”
The PDP is yet to issue an official reaction to the latest development.
After the building was sealed on Monday, Umar Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the party, condemned the action of FCTA, describing it as “the highest irresponsibility” from the government.
“In fact, if they want to arrest all of us, we are ready for that,” he said.
READ ALSO: Tinubu stops FCTA from taking over 4,794 revoked lands
He added that the party would not tolerate such actions, which he believed were aimed at undermining democracy.
“They are trying to mar democracy, and this is not acceptable. We condemn it and assure them they will have to contend,” he added.
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who is an official member of the PDP, has been having a running battle with the opposition party since the 2023 election.
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