BREAKING: Wike Allocates Abuja Old Parade Ground to APC for New Secretariat

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has allocated a section of Abuja’s historic Old Parade Ground to the All Progressives Congress (APC), effectively granting the party permanent ownership of the land without the multibillion-naira statutory charges normally required for such allocation.

The Old Parade Ground, designed at the inception of Abuja as a communal arena for Independence Day parades, cultural festivals, sports events, and political gatherings, has now been carved out for the ruling party.

According to official records, on August 8, 2025, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) excised a two-hectare portion of the parade ground, registered as Plot 4742 in Cadastral Zone A01, Garki District, and handed it to the APC.

On the same day, both the right of occupancy and the certificate of occupancy were issued, a process that usually takes years to complete.

The allocation documents specify that the land is to be developed into an office building within two years, indicating that it will serve as the ruling party’s new national secretariat.

Currently, the APC operates from its Muhammadu Buhari House in Wuse II, Abuja. The party acquired the building in 2021 at a cost of ₦2.5 billion and named it after former President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, President Bola Tinubu had, at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on July 24, 2025, directed that a new, more befitting secretariat be constructed in Abuja.

“We’ll look for an appropriate land to build a befitting secretariat,” he said, tasking the APC National Working Committee, the Progressive Governors’ Forum, and the FCT Minister with identifying suitable land for the project.

Records show that the land premium was assessed at ₦6,000 per square metre, with an annual ground rent of ₦35 per square metre, amounting to about ₦120.6 million in premium charges for the 20,100-square-metre plot.

Yet, officials confirmed that the APC was not required to pay this amount, nor the additional statutory fees that typically accompany allocations in the city centre, Peoples Gazette reports.

Ordinarily, charges include development levies, processing fees, infrastructure development charges, survey duties, and certificate of occupancy fees, which together raise the cost to several billions of naira. In this case, however, all charges were waived by ministerial discretion, while the party was issued a 99-year lease at no cost to the federal treasury.

The speed at which the land was ceded to the APC has also been a concern. Land allocations in Abuja, it so understood typically drag on for months or even years due to backlogs and strict compliance procedures. But for the APC, both the right and certificate of occupancy were processed and issued in a single day, despite the non-payment of dues.

Since Tinubu made Wike minister in 2023, the former Rivers governor has made land allocation a defining feature of his administration, revoking titles, demolishing structures, and citing a commitment to restoring Abuja’s master plan. At the same time, he has been accused of directing prime allocations to allies, family members, and political associates under favourable terms.