A bitter public spat erupted on May 26, 2025, between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Senator Ireti Kingibe over the sealing of properties in Abuja for unpaid ground rent, plunging the capital into a heated debate about the Land Use Act and residents’ rights.
Senator Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, condemned the mass closure of buildings—including the Peoples Democratic Party Secretariat and an Access Bank branch—as “unconstitutional and high-handed.” In a statement on her official X handle, she warned:
“No Nigerian’s property can be lawfully seized or sealed solely due to ground rent default. Such indiscriminate actions are insensitive to our economic realities and erode public trust.”
Kingibe argued that the Land Use Act and the Urban and Regional Planning Act prescribe fines or surcharges—not abrupt property takeovers—as penalties for rent default. She pledged to push legislative reforms to ensure due process in future enforcement.
Wike’s camp, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, swiftly fired back, accusing the senator of “ridiculous ignorance” and personal vendetta. Olayinka stressed:
“It is embarrassingly ignorant for a serving senator to be unaware of Section 28 of the Land Use Act. Ground rent is not optional—it’s a legal obligation tied to land ownership.”
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He insisted that failure to pay ground rent for 10, 20, even 43 years justifies property sealing and urged Kingibe to stop defending defaulters under the guise of legality.
The clash follows President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, which granted defaulters a 14-day grace period to settle arrears and temporarily halted further sealings. Yet, the dispute underscores a deepening political divide over public policy in the FCT.
Observers note that while Kingibe’s call for due process resonates with affected residents, Wike’s hardline stance highlights the government’s determination to enforce revenue laws. It remains to be seen whether a middle ground can be found or if the feud will escalate, further polarising the capital’s stakeholders.
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