SDP condemns FCT allocation of Abuja’s Old Parade Ground to APC as reckless misuse of national heritage and urges President Tinubu to reverse it
SDP condemns FCT allocation of the historic Old Parade Ground to the ruling APC as reckless and a blatant misuse of national heritage.
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The Social Democratic Party warns that the permanent assignment of this iconic site to a political party undermines public trust and demands immediate reversal.
In a strongly worded statement issued Monday in Abuja, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, SDP National Publicity Secretary, decried the rapid approval of the site’s two-hectare excision—dubbed Plot 4742 in Garki, Area 10—for party use, claiming both the Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy were issued on the same day, August 8, 2025.
He called the move “highly irregular and suspicious.”
The Old Parade Ground, a national landmark predating Eagle Square, carries immense historical and cultural value.
Yet the SDP asserts that due process was bypassed in favor of swift political gain.
“Handing over a national monument meant for civic usage to a political party is executive abuse of the highest order,” Aiyenigba stated.
“The decision was made with unprecedented speed and even waived applicable fees.”
The party further linked the development to President Bola Tinubu’s direction at the APC’s NEC meeting on July 24, 2025, where he called for a dedicated party secretariat.
“It is an unacceptable national fraud if President Tinubu allows the FCT Minister to convert the Old Parade Ground into an APC asset,” the party added.
SDP also accused Minister Nyesom Wike of looking for political favor—citing both the plot allocation and his earlier decision to rename the Abuja International Conference Centre after the President, moves that raised public disquiet.
The SDP’s statement concluded with a rallying cry to Nigerians:
“Our national heritage should not be treated like party spoils. We call on all citizens to resist this alarming trend and demand that our monuments remain national assets, not political gifts.”
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The party reiterated its readiness to protect national properties and urged President Tinubu to act swiftly to revoke the allocation.
