FCTA fumes as politicians turn residential buildings to campaign offices
…Issues quit notices; to revoke plots of defaulters
Politicians are still converting residential buildings into campaign offices despite the warning by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) against that.
A visit round the city by our reporters showed that Maitama and Wuse districts host most of the residential buildings that have been converted to campaign offices and in some cases party secretariats.
Most of the buildings and fences have been decked with inscriptions depicting political parties/campaigns offices. The places, meant for residential purposes, have now been turned to gathering places and onstreet parking with associated traffic congestion along the access roads.
Findings also showed that the people, groups or parties that have redesignated their buildings from residential to campaign offices included the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
One of the campaign offices visited by Daily Trust was the Sule Lamido campaign office situated opposite the popular Anur Mosque in Wuse II District.
One of his media aides told our reporter on phone that users of the structure were actually complying with rules of the FCTA as they have removed all campaign bill boards and flyers pasted around the fence outside the building.
But the Director, Department of Development Control of the FCTA, Mukhtar Galadima, said in an interview with Daily Trust that the FCTA has served notices and even sent letters to such campaign offices notifying them that their activities within residential areas were a clear violation of the development guidelines of the FCT as well as provisions of the Abuja Master plan.
“Some argued that they don’t constitute nuisance to their neighbourhoods but it is not the issue of constituting nuisance…some of them responded that they will comply with the rules but should be given a little time,” Galadima said.
He explained that the title to the offices, like the Philip Aduda campaign office in Area 10 and Sule Lamido Campaign office in Wuse II, risk being revoked, likewise the title of any offender irrespective of the political party.
“When we started this sensitization campaign, we started with even the ruling party. Everyone should comply with the rules irrespective party,” he added.
The coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, in a letter asked the owners of Plot 1185 ThabaTseka Street, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse District II, the building that houses the Sule Lamido Campaign Organisation to “remove all inscriptions that depict political campaign activities.”
The letter, dated July 9, 2018 and titled “Re: Notice of Contravention on the Illegal Conversion of Residential Building to Campaign Office on Plot 1185 Thaba-Tseka Street, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse District II,”asked the owners to comply within two weeks.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Musa Bello, had also recently issued a 30-day quit notice to all political campaign offices occupying buildings located within residential plots and diplomatic zones in the territory.
However, some political parties which have their national secretariat or campaign offices located in various parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) denied knowledge of the notice.
The National Progressive Peoples of your Chairman of Alliance (PPA), Chief Peter Ameh, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview at the weekend that the party was not aware of such notice.
Chief Ameh said, “I’m not aware of that and we have not received any letter or notice in that regard.”
He added, “We have been here for over four years now and we are comfortable with the people living around us; they are also comfortable with us; we are living peacefully, so I have not heard of that news.”
Similarly, the FCT Chairman of National Conscience Party (NCP), Comrade Fisayo Abe, in a telephone chat with our correspondent said, “No, we haven’t received any notice to that effect.”
The NCP office is on No. 1, Younde Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) National Director of Publicity, Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, said, “I am not aware of such a notice as we speak.”
APGA’s national secretariat is located in a residential area in Wuse 2, Abuja.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Princess Goldba Tolofari, in a text message said, “We are not in the know for now.”