By Prosper Okoye
Atakulu Ugochukwu Young, a candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) for AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election, has pledged to make reducing rents in the Federal Capital Territory his first priority if elected.
Young made the pledge on Sunday in Abuja at the inauguration of his campaign council, where he presented housing, multiple taxation and transportation as the main priorities of his proposed legislative agenda.
He said a bill to regulate rent increases would be his first legislative proposal at the National Assembly, arguing that the steep rises in rental costs were making it increasingly difficult for residents to remain in their homes.
Citing cases in which annual rents had reportedly risen from N800,000 to N3.5 million and from N400,000 to N3 million, Young said some landlords were pricing tenants out of their accommodation.
“Young men and young women have been driven out of their houses. Why? Because one landlord increased their rents by 500 per cent,” he said.
Young put the proportion of FCT residents struggling with housing costs at 70 per cent. He proposed limiting rent adjustments to 10 per cent over a three-year period, saying this would give tenants greater certainty in planning their finances.
He said his proposal differed from other rent-related bills before the House of Representatives, which he argued focused mainly on tenancy rights and restrictions on advance rent payments rather than the rate at which landlords could increase rents.
On taxation, Young said he would seek clearer rules to prevent businesses from facing multiple charges, arguing that predictable tax obligations would help operators plan their costs and make investment decisions.
He also called for a more organised public bus system operating along designated routes in the FCT. Such a system, he said, would provide commuters with an alternative to private vehicles and help address “one chance” robberies, in which criminals pose as commercial transport operators to rob passengers.
Young said his campaign had established structures in all 22 wards across AMAC and Bwari, with 12 coordinators in AMAC and 10 in Bwari, adding that the coordinators had experience in previous elections.
YPP presidential candidate, Dr Peter Agada, urged supporters to trust Young’s commitment to the campaign, describing him as someone determined to make a difference.
“He wants to make a difference. And he said he’s slow, but he’s definite. Please trust him,” Agada said.
Agada also introduced a rent-to-own housing proposal from his presidential manifesto, arguing that tenants should be able to put their rental payments towards eventual ownership of the properties they occupy.
“What Nigeria needs now is not people to pay house rents. What we need now is rent to own,” he said, explaining that payments would gradually reduce the cost of the house to the occupant until ownership was transferred.
He also described YPP as a platform for young Nigerians and said the party had gained national visibility.
The party’s FCT chairman, Abraham Simeon Adedotun, urged supporters to mobilise behind its candidates, saying the party was relying on personal resources and grassroots organisation rather than public funds.
He accused established political interests of using money to attract supporters and urged young Nigerians not to exchange their political choices for short-term financial inducements.
Adedotun also disputed claims that the All Progressives Congress would secure the FCT in the 2027 elections, saying the YPP was organising across the territory through its ward coordinators and area council structures.
In the AMAC/Bwari race, Young is expected to face APC candidate John Shekwogaza Gabaya. The PDP candidate, Ahmed Dogara Jacob, was reported to have stepped down in Gabaya’s favour in October.
