After repeatedly failing to reach an amicable solution, a court will now rule on the disputed plot.
A
sour dispute between first lady, Patience Jonathan, and her immediate
predecessor, Turai Yar’Adua, over a prized plot of land in Abuja, turned
out a full-fledge legal tussle lasting months after repeated attempts
at settling out of court failed.
A ruling on the right to the
contentious property, located at Abuja’s Central Business District, is
now expected to follow final presentations to be made by both sides
before the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, court handling the case, a
lawyer to Mrs. Yar’Adua said.
The final addresses are to be laid on January 24, to set the stage for a judgement.
Attorney
General, Mohammed Adoke, who was joined in the case, and has led
unsuccessful out-of-court mediation efforts, has given testimonies
through witnesses, PREMIUM TIMES was informed.
The two women have
laid claims to the plot, first allocated to Mrs. Yar’Adua by the
Federal Capital Territory authorities in February 2010, while she held
office, and later reallocated to Mrs. Jonathan after she took office.
While
Mrs. Yar’Adua obtained the plot for her pet project, Women and Youth
Empowerment Foundation, WAYEF, Mrs. Jonathan got the allocation for her
initiative, African First Ladies’ Peace Mission, AFLPM.
A lawyer
to Mrs. Yar’Adua, Innocent Lagi, said repeated offers made to replace
the plot were unacceptable due to size or location, and the matter has
remained in court since.
“We did not accept any of the offers and the matter became a full-fledge court case,” Mr. Lagi said.
He said Mrs. Yar’Adua’s team is satisfied no activity was taking place on the disputed plot.
The
scandal which broke mid 2012, gave a rare glimpse into the subtle feud
between Mrs. Jonathan and her predecessor- a long running rift dating
from the turbulent months of former President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death,
and the transition of power to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Critics
have also highlighted the controversial transfer of ownership titles in
the case as characteristic of the abuse and the rot in land
administration in Abuja.
The FCT minister who approved the transfer, Bala Mohammed, said the revocation was in public interest.
History of transfer
Mrs.
Yar’Adua’s WAYEF sued the FCT minister, the ministry, and the Attorney
General of the Federation on November 23, 2011, challenging the
reassignment of the plot.
On March 5, 2012, Justice Peter Affen
of the Abuja Court at Bwari granted an injunction restraining the
minister or any other person from affecting the title or interest of
WAYEF over the property pending the determination of the case.
In
turn, Mrs. Jonathan approached the court, through the Federal Ministry
of Justice, seeking a discharge of the order on the land, or at worst, a
stay of execution.
A lawyer to Mrs. Jonathan, Ballah Ali, said
in a court affidavit that the president’s wife reached out to Mrs.
Yar’Adua and assured her of a replacement.
But matters soon
degenerated after the first lady’s attention was subsequently drawn to
the injunction obtained by her predecessor after she was made to believe
that the matter had been resolved.
Mrs. Yar’Adua’s organisation
has maintained its ownership of the land and its lawyers say WAYEF
obtained the requisite approvals, including the statutory payment of
N184 million to the Abuja Geographic Information System, AGIS, for the
right of occupancy.
After preliminary court outings from both
sides and the office of the Attorney General, an attempt at an
out-of-court resolution was agreed at the counseling of the presiding
judge, Mr. Affen.
But the talks broke down after first offers were made in July 2012, with Mrs. Yar’Adua rejecting both.
One
offer was for a smaller plot in the same highbrow area of Abuja, while
another was for a sizeable plot in an undeveloped part of Abuja, their
lawyers said.
A saving grace was expected if Mrs. Jonathan’s team
made new acceptable offer ahead of a report of the progress expected to
be made to the court on September 24, 2012.
For weeks, or even
months, away from the media and public glare, the negotiation continued
but failed to provide a resolution as Mrs. Yar’Adua’s team considered
all offers unsuit.