Land Revocation: Wike’s Aide Blames PDP Elders for Unpaid Ground Rent

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister on Public Communication and New Media, has pointed the finger at People’s Democratic Party (PDP) elders, including Chief Bode George, for the party’s failure to pay Ground Rent for 28 years, which led to the revocation of the PDP’s national secretariat land in Abuja. Olayinka, however, cleared his principal, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, of any wrongdoing in the matter.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Olayinka expressed disbelief that Chief Bode George, who was part of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) responsible for failing to conclude the purchase of the Wadata Plaza National Secretariat, would accuse Wike of crossing the “red line” by revoking the PDP’s land. George had criticized Wike’s action in a television interview on Friday, calling it an “open declaration of war” against the PDP.

Responding to the criticism, Olayinka expressed his frustration, stating it was disheartening that elders like Chief Bode George were avoiding responsibility for the situation. He questioned why the PDP failed to pay Ground Rent for 20 years on its Plot No. 243, where the national secretariat is located, which was one of the 4,794 land titles revoked due to unpaid Ground Rent. He asked, “How is the government’s enforcement of the consequences for landowners’ failure to pay Ground Rent considered a declaration of war?”

Olayinka clarified that the Wadata Plaza property, which is currently used by the PDP as its secretariat, does not belong to the party. Instead, it is owned by Senator Samaila Mamman Kurfi, who purchased it from Wadata Enterprises Nigeria Limited.

“The PDP offered to buy the Wadata Plaza property in 2005, and when the Minister’s Consent was sought, the party was asked to pay N26.9 million, but that payment was never made,” Olayinka explained. “The party even wrote to Malam Nasir El-Rufai, then FCT Minister, asking for a waiver because it lacked the financial capacity. However, El-Rufai insisted that the party must make the payment.”

Olayinka continued, “If the owner of the property failed to pay N2.8 million in Ground Rent over 28 years, who should be held responsible? And on the PDP’s national secretariat, is it Wike’s fault that just N7.6 million in Ground Rent was owed for 20 years, despite the fact that over N21 billion was raised in 2014 to complete the building?”

The FCT Minister’s spokesperson also advised Chief Bode George to act more responsibly as an elder, emphasizing that it would have been more appropriate to seek information before making inflammatory public statements. Olayinka pointed out that government institutions, such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and others, were also affected by the revocation due to non-payment of Ground Rent.

“If Chief Bode George were the FCT Minister, would he have treated PDP any differently from the other 4,793 landowners whose titles were revoked?” Olayinka asked.

Regarding loyalty to the PDP, Olayinka stated that the development and results in both Wike’s Rivers State and George’s Lagos State from 1998 to the present clearly show who has been more loyal and committed to the party.