Social Democratic Party (SDP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the approval of the old parade ground for construction of new All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of SDP, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, on Monday, the party described the allocation as height of executive recklessness and abuse of power.
The Party urged President Tinubu to correct the momentous error by overriding Wike’s decision.
He argued that given the important status of the Old Parade Ground in relation to the history of the FCT, it is an unacceptable and condemnable national fraud if President Tinubu will allow the FCT minister convert a historic facility such as the Old Parade Ground located in Area 10 to an asset of the ruling party.
The statement read:
“The attention of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has been drawn to a most distasteful and reckless action of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who in his usual overboard actions of wanting to please President Tinubu and show him loyalty at every turn, allocated the legacy Abuja Old Parade Ground to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the construction of its new national secretariat.
“Reports have it that the Minister, on Agust 8, 2025, allocated a section of the historic national monument to the ruling party, thereby granting it permanent ownership of that choice land and a waiver on the payment of the required statutory charges for such allocation, thereby depriving the nation the acruable income.
“It is important to note that the Old Parade Ground, Abuja, was specifically designed at the inception of the Federal Capital Territory, as the premier national arena which was first built before the construction of the more modern and sophisticated Eagle Square by the General Babangida military administration, for hosting of independence day parades, cultural festivals, sporting events, and political gatherings.
“Considering the important status of the Old Parade Ground in relation to the history of the FCT, it is an unacceptable and condemnable national fraud if President Tinubu will allow the FCT minister, in his characteristic recklessness and appalling brashness to convert a historic facility such as the Old Parade Ground located in Area 10 to an asset of the ruling party.
“According to reliable official records, a two-hectare portion of the Parade Ground, which was registered as Plot 4742 in Cadastral Zone A01, Garki District, popularly known as Area 10, has been excised by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on the executive order of the Minister and handed over to the APC.
“To seal the unwholesome decision, it was reported that as against the usual long period it takes for the process to be completed, both the right of occupancy and the certificate of occupancy of the excised land were surprisingly processed and issued to the APC on the same day that the pronouncement was made.
“The APC national secretariat building, which is named after the late President Muhammadu Buhari, situated in Wuse 2 area of Abuja, was said to have been acquired by the party in 2021 at a cost of ₦2.5 billion.
“Minister Wike apparently acted on the President’s directive that a new, more befitting secretariat be built in Abuja, at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which held on July 24, 2025 by ceding the prime land to the APC.
“With the dust of his unfathomable decision of allocating such humongous funds for mere renovation, and changing of the name of the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC) to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre yet to settle, Wike has committed another momentous error of judgement in handing over a national asset to APC the ruling party.
“The SDP submits that national monuments and historic facilities should be preserved for posterity. The party calls on all Nigerians to rise up and join hands in resisting this particular unpatriotic action of the FCT Minister.
“Rather than construct additional world-class facilities to add value to the infrastructural assets of the FCT, Minister Wike is busy handing over our common patrimony, choice lands to individuals, dishing out and converting names of facility, and gifting a national asset to the ruling political party for the purpose of sustaining his relevance in the power dynamics.
“The SDP condemns in strong terms the continued gross impunitous actions, abuse of power, particularly this most recent unpatriotic decision of the FCT Minister. The party also admonishes all public office holders to prioritise due process, transparency, and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
“The SDP calls on President Tinubu to, in national interest, override the wrong decision made by the FCT Minister with regard to the gifting of the Old Parade Ground land to the ruling party. It is a wrong thing to do.
“While calling on Nigerians to stand up against every wrong decision of government that is not in the true interest of the public, the SDP promises to continue to be at the forefront of the patriotic crusade for good public policy, and to preserve our national heritage.
“No longer should the citizens fold their hands and allow Nigeria’s national assets to be gifted to individuals by public officers saddled with our sacred national trust, or have them appropriated by a political party in power with reckless abandon.”
