Over 24 hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 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 mass sealing of properties, triggering outcry.
President Bola Tinubu had intervened and ordered unsealing of the defaulting properties.
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The President had given defaulters 14-day grace to pay the ground rent with a penalty of N2m. He also advised them to regularise all their land titles before the deadline.
But when our correspondent visited the PDP headquarters at Wuse Zone 5 in Abuja at about 10:15am on Wednesday, the gate 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, 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, had 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.
He added that the party would not tolerate such actions, which he believes 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), has been having a running battle with the opposition party.
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