Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticized Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Bode George, for condemning the revocation of the party’s National Secretariat land title in Abuja.
In a statement on Saturday, Olayinka insisted that PDP leaders should be held accountable for failing to pay ground rent for 28 years, which ultimately led to the revocation. His response came after George described Wike’s decision as a “declaration of war” against the party.
Dismissing the claim, Olayinka accused PDP elders of neglecting to finalize the purchase of Wadata Plaza, a property the party attempted to acquire in 2005. He revealed that PDP was required to pay N26.9 million to obtain ministerial consent for the purchase but never made the payment. Instead, the party sought a waiver from then-FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai, citing financial incapacity— a request El-Rufai denied.
“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. The money was never paid. The party wrote to Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the FCT Minister at the time, requesting a waiver, claiming financial incapacity, but he insisted the party must pay,” Olayinka stated.
He further pointed out that El-Rufai, who was a PDP member at the time, did not face similar accusations from George.
“El-Rufai insisted PDP must do the right thing by paying the necessary fees to the government. He was a member of the party then, and Chief Bode George, who was in the PDP’s National Working Committee, did not go on national television to accuse him of declaring war against the party. And if the owner did not pay a mere N2.8 million in 28 years for Ground Rent, who is to blame?” he added.
Olayinka also questioned why the PDP failed to pay N7.6 million in ground rent over 20 years for its National Secretariat land in the Central Area, despite raising over N21 billion in 2014 for the building’s completion.
“On the PDP National Secretariat at Central Area, is it Wike’s fault that a mere N7.6 million was owed in 20 years’ Ground Rent, despite over N21 billion being raised in 2014 for the building’s completion?
“Why didn’t the PDP pay Ground Rent for 20 years on its Plot No. 243 National Secretariat (under construction), the only party-owned property among the 4,794 revoked titles? How is the government’s enforcement of land title laws a ‘declaration of war’? Should the FCTA under Wike have treated PDP differently from the other 4,794 landowners who lost their titles over non-payment?” he queried.
Olayinka emphasized that the revocation affected a wide range of property owners, including government institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
He urged Bode George to verify facts before making public statements, stressing that Wike was merely enforcing the law without bias.
Additionally, Olayinka compared the PDP’s electoral success in Wike’s Rivers State to George’s Lagos State, implying that Wike had been more effective in delivering victories for the party.
