The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) recently undertook a mass sealing of properties in Abuja due to non-payment of ground rent, an action that included the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The FCTA had announced intentions to repossess 4,794 properties with outstanding ground rent payments accumulated over periods ranging from 10 to 43 years, amounting to a total of ₦6.96 billion. The PDP National Secretariat, located at Wadata Plaza in Wuse Zone 5, was among those sealed on Monday by an FCTA taskforce.

Following an outcry over the mass sealing, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervened, directing the FCTA to unseal all affected properties, including the PDP headquarters. The President granted a 14-day grace period for defaulters to settle their outstanding ground rent payments, reportedly with a penalty of N2 million. Defaulters were also advised to regularise all their land titles before the deadline.

Despite President Tinubu's directive, the PDP national headquarters remained under lock and key more than 24 to 48 hours later. When visited on Wednesday morning, around 10:15 am and 11 am, both entrances to the Wadata Plaza were still padlocked, and an official FCTA seal was visible beside the lock. Some reports indicated the secretariat remained sealed over 24 hours after the President's directive, while another mentioned it was still sealed 48 hours after.

Party staff members and private security personnel were observed outside the sealed PDP secretariat, unable to access the building, with some loitering and lamenting the situation. This contrasted with actions elsewhere, as FCTA officials were reportedly seen unsealing other prominent establishments such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office, Ibro Hotel, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) office.

The failure to unseal the PDP headquarters, while other properties were being reopened, fueled suspicion among party members. A PDP staff member, speaking anonymously, recounted that FCTA officials who had unsealed other buildings quickly drove away upon reaching the PDP office. The staff member claimed to have followed them to their office and spoken with the director of Lands, who allegedly stated that they were "still waiting for instructions from AGIS (Abuja Geographic Information Systems) to unseal PDP." This led the staffer to suspect an "underlying instruction" specifically targeting the opposition party's office.

The PDP has strongly condemned the FCTA's actions. After the initial sealing on Monday, Umar Damagum, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, described the move as "the highest irresponsibility" from the government during a National Caucus meeting. He asserted that the party would not tolerate such actions, viewing them as attempts to "mar democracy" and undermine the political process, stating, "if they want to arrest all of us, we are ready for that." The party officially stated the sealing was an attempt to gag democracy in the country, condemning the situation.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has been at the center of this controversy, with some observers noting a "running battle" with the opposition party. Defending the FCTA's operation, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to Minister Wike, stated that the sealing of properties was legally justified and not politically motivated.

Criticism also came from within the PDP, with Chief Olabode George, a party chieftain, lashing out at Minister Wike. George suggested that Wike, whose political career was significantly shaped by the PDP, could have personally settled the outstanding ground rent for the party. As of Wednesday, the PDP office remained sealed, though a source within the party indicated that efforts were currently underway to resolve the issue and reopen the office. The PDP had yet to issue an official reaction to the continued closure following the President's directive to unseal.