There is confusion in the Peoples Democratic Party as the National Working Committee insists that Sunday Ude-Okoye is the National Secretary of the party despite the Supreme Court judgment on Friday which appears to have reinstated a factional leader, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, as secretary.

The PDP has experienced internal struggles both before and after the 2023 elections, leading to instability and divisions within the party.

PDP crisis

The acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, has faced considerable criticism, especially after replacing Iyorchia Ayu.

Tensions around the National Secretary role escalated when the South-East nominated Ude-Okoye to replace Anyanwu, who had been selected for the Imo governorship election in 2023.

After the matter was brought to court in December 2024, the Court of Appeal, Enugu division, declared Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.

However, following months of tension in the party, the Supreme Court overturned the Appeal Court’s judgment, reinstating Anyanwu as the party’s secretary.

The apex court, in a unanimous judgment of a five-member panel in Abuja on Friday, said the matter bordering on the leadership or membership of a political party was the internal affair of the party and should not be the business of a court.

The court proceeded to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, Enugu division, which on December 20, 2024 affirmed the decision of a Federal High Court in Enugu that removed Anyanwu as the National Secretary.

Anyanwu’s grounds of appeal

Following the concurrent judgments of the two courts (Federal High Court and Court of Appeal) that initially sacked Anyanwu, Sunday Udeh-Okoye was brought in as his replacement.

Anyanwu, dissatisfied with the judgments, approached the apex court to overturn the rulings of the lower courts.

The embattled party leader, in a 10-ground appeal filed through his counsel, Ken Njemanze (SAN), prayed the apex court to allow his appeal.

He argued that the appellate court erred in law when it upheld the trial court’s jurisdiction over a matter dealing with the internal affairs of the PDP.

Anyanwu contended that issues relating to party leadership and membership were non-justiciable and fell outside the jurisdiction of any court.

Additionally, he criticised the lower court for failing to rule on whether the plaintiff had complied with the mandatory internal dispute resolution mechanisms stipulated in the PDP constitution before filing the suit.

Anyanwu also faulted the lower court’s decision for holding that the plaintiff had the locus standi to institute the case, asserting that such issues were fundamental to the court’s jurisdiction to adjudicate the case.

The appellant further contended that the lower court erred in interpreting Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, arguing that he neither resigned nor was removed from his position as National Secretary.

He emphasised that the PDP constitution outlined specific procedures for vacating executive offices, which included removal or resignation.

He also argues that Article 47 of the PDP constitution provides for a four-year single term for party officers, and added there was no basis for the concurrent findings of the lower courts that deemed him to have vacated his office.

Meanwhile, both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Enugu, had agreed with the argument of the plaintiff, Aniagwu Emmanuel, that Anyanwu’s continued stay in office as National Secretary after purchasing a form, contesting and emerging as the party’s candidate in the governorship election that held in Imo State was a breach of the party’s constitution.

Supreme court judgment

The apex court, in its judgement, agreed with Anyanwu that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to have entertained the suit instituted by the plaintiff.




https://punchng.com/pdp-crisis-deepens-as-scourt-reinstates-anyanwu-secretary/