APC Headquarters Expansion Plan Draws Questions Over Cost and Timing

APC Headquarters Expansion Plan Draws Questions Over Cost and Timing

The All Progressives Congress is facing renewed scrutiny after moving ahead with plans for a new national secretariat in Abuja, about four years after buying its current headquarters in Wuse II.

The party’s present base, Buhari House at 40 Blantyre Street, was fully acquired in 2021 for more than N2.5 billion after an initial lease period. Party sources said the APC first paid N115 million under that lease arrangement before completing payment for full ownership. The building was later named after former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to insiders, major renovation works followed the purchase, including redesign and structural upgrades that reportedly cost additional billions of naira. No official breakdown of those expenses has been made public.

Plans for a new headquarters gained momentum on July 24, 2025, during the APC’s 14th National Executive Committee meeting at the State House. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu told party governors to support Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in securing suitable land for what he described as a befitting secretariat.

Tinubu said: “There are governors here, 23 of them. They should help the FCT minister, and we should put a committee together to find appropriate land to build a befitting secretariat.”

After the directive, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda announced at a stakeholders’ meeting that the party had acquired a site in Abuja’s Central Business District, close to the Old Parade Ground, for the project. Sources at the national secretariat told BusinessDay that title documentation, including a Certificate of Occupancy, has been secured. The same sources said architectural and engineering drawings have also been completed.

Even so, the estimated total cost and completion timeline remain undisclosed.

The issue has opened debate inside and outside the party. Critics say starting another high-value headquarters project while many Nigerians are dealing with inflation, insecurity and pressure on household income sends the wrong message about public priorities.

Chief Jackson Lekan Ojo, a former APC chieftain, said the administration should place greater emphasis on measures that directly improve living conditions. He argued that government-associated spending has become difficult to justify while citizens face persistent economic strain. Ojo also said he doubted the new secretariat project would be completed if political control changes in 2027.

A North East APC member who requested anonymity made a similar point, saying governance outcomes should carry more weight than office expansion at this stage.

Not all voices opposed the plan. Chief Chekwas Okorie, former presidential candidate and elder statesman, said he had no objection to the party building a new complex if it is funded through legitimate party fundraising rather than public money. He noted that political parties have long operated without direct grants from the Independent National Electoral Commission and should remain financially accountable.

The APC’s central office has changed over time. After the party was formed in 2013 through a merger involving ACN, CPC, ANPP, factions of APGA and the nPDP bloc from the PDP, it operated from a smaller office at No. 6 Bissau Street in Abuja. As the party grew and won national power, leaders later moved to Buhari House.

A party official said Buhari House remains operational and that there is no immediate relocation until the new site is completed. He added that internal improvements have continued at the current complex, including construction of new structures and a car park.

Repeated attempts to obtain official comments on project financing and cost details from APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka were unsuccessful, according to the report.

With no public cost estimate yet, discussion over the proposed headquarters is expected to continue, especially around transparency and whether spending choices align with the wider pressures facing Nigerians.