PDP holds emergency meeting over Wike

• The meeting was summoned after Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike revoked land right of the party’s national secretariat over non-payment of dues

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently holding an emergency meeting at its permanent headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting was summoned after Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike revoked land right of the party’s national secretariat over non-payment of dues.

Wike’s decision to revoke the Right of Occupancy granted to the PDP for its national secretariat was conveyed in a statement addressed to the party’s chairman on Tuesday.

The development is coming amid the unending cold war between the minister and leadership of the party that he is still a member of.

The statement read, “I have been directed to refer to the above Right of Occupancy granted to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and inform you that the Minister of Federal Capital Territory has in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests and privileges over Plot No. 243 within Central Area, Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja.

“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for twenty (20) years, from 1 of January 2006 to 1 of January 2025. This is despite the many publications made by the FCT Administration since 2023 in several national dailies and on electronic media requesting all allottees of plots in the Federal Capital Territory to pay up every outstanding bill and ground rent on their properties.”

Noting that the FCTA had taken possession of the property, the statement added that the party’s breeches were at variance with “the provisions of ection 28, subsection 5 (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.”

This is the latest in series of moves Mr Wike has embarked on to disrupt activities of the PDP after actively working for All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure Bola Tinubu emergence as president during the 2023 presidential election and ongoing plans to impeach his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara by lawmakers loyal to the minister.