The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sealed off the national secretariat of the Peoples Deomcratic Party (PDP) in Abuja over an alleged failure to pay ground rent.
The building, located at Wuse Zone 5, was sealed on Monday afternoon ahead of the party’s national executive council (NEC) meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the PDP, comprising state governors, serving and former presidents, former vice-presidents, the chairman and secretary of the board of trustees (BoT), principal officers of the national assembly, all state chairpersons, members of the national working committee (NWC), former governors, and founding members, among others.
Section 31 (4) of the PDP constitution states that a NEC meeting must be held once in three months. The last NEC meeting was held in April 2024.
The Tuesday NEC meeting is expected to address a wide range of issues, including the party’s internal disputes, which have lingered for months.
With the party’s headquarters sealed, it remains unclear whether the NEC meeting will go ahead with a new venue announced.
The shutdown of the PDP headquarters follows a major enforcement drive by the FCTA, which recently cancelled 4,794 land titles in key Abuja districts such as Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki due to long-standing unpaid ground rents.
FCTA officials say 8,375 property owners collectively owe about N6.97 billion, with some debts dating back more than 40 years.
In March, the FCTA revoked the land title of the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) located in the central business district, over an alleged failure to pay ground rents of over 19 years.
When the 4,794 land titles were revoked, the FCTA said its owners could appeal for reinstatement.
