FCT Minister Nyesom Wike defended the administration’s decision to repossess properties of ground rent defaulters, stating he would not be deterred by blackmail despite President Tinubu’s two-week grace period for payment.

Wike criticized elite property owners for refusing to pay their dues, emphasizing that FCT relies on taxes for infrastructure funding and hinted at a possible increase in ground rent rates long overdue.

Former governor Sule Lamido condemned Wike’s actions, accusing him of undermining the PDP and calling him unreliable and ungrateful, while the PDP national headquarters remained sealed despite Tinubu’s directive to reopen it.

Wike also clarified that a recent explosion in Abuja was not a suicide bombing but involved an accidental detonation of an explosive by a civilian near a quarry.