A day after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu issued a directive for the unsealing of properties closed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over unpaid ground rent, the national headquarters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains shut.
Bellnews recalls that on Monday, officials from the FCTA sealed multiple properties in Abuja for failure to remit statutory ground rents. The move sparked outrage from affected individuals and organisations.
In response, President Tinubu ordered the immediate reopening of all sealed properties and granted a 14-day grace period for defaulters to settle their obligations—subject to a N2 million penalty. He also urged landowners to regularise their title documents within the timeframe.
However, as of 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, the PDP national secretariat, located in Wuse Zone 5, was still padlocked. A red FCTA seal was visibly pasted beside the locked gate, signalling continued enforcement.
Staff of the party were seen gathered outside the premises, some seated on pavements and others pacing about in frustration. One employee, who asked not to be named, expressed suspicion that a specific directive had been issued to keep the PDP office shut.
“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,” the staffer said.
“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.”