An aide attached to the embattled national secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Mr Emmanuel Okoronkwo, on Monday assalted The Sun correspondent attached to the party’s national secretariat, Mr Ndubuisi Orji.
Anyanwu is battling to retain his position with the party following the decision of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which affirmed his replacement with Sunday Ude-Okoye.
But in a deperate move to prevent Ude-Okoye from assuming office, Anyanwu instructed security personnel at the Wadata Plaza not to allow journalists into the premises until further notice.
Ude-Okoye vs. Anyanwu
Orji, who was at the secretariat to assess the situation, had sought to enter the Wadata Plaza on Monday afternoon, when he was turned back by the security personnel at the gate. The security men insisted that Orji must contact Senator Anyanwu or the Chief Security Officer (CSO) at the national secretariat before gaining entrance.
An eye witness who pleaded anonymity explained that Orji was approaching his vehicle which was parked outside the Wadata Plaza when Okoronkwo accosted him and started raining series of slaps.
In the process, the journalist sustained physical injuries and his mobile phones got damaged.
“It took frantic efforts of security personnel at the gate to restrain Okoronkwo from inflicting further pain on the journalist,” the eye witness added.
The eye witness further stated that while Okoronkwo was being led away by the security operatives, he threatened to deal with with Orji and other journalists that came close to the PDP secretariat.
The incident has, however, been reported at the Wuse Division of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Abuja.
All efforts to reach Senator Anyanwu via his mobile phone proved abortive.
Meanwhile, chairman of the PDP Press Corps, Mr Samuel Ogidan, in a statement condemned the assault and charged the police to bring the Okoronkwo to justice.
According to Ogidan, the attack would have been sanctioned by Anyanwu, as he has confirmed he (Anyanwu) instructed security personnel at the Wadata Plaza, not to allow journalists access into the national secretariat.
“In a fit of rage, Anyanwu’s aide threatened to “deal with” Mr. Orji boasting that nothing would happen because he was acting on the instructions of his principal who gave specific instructions that journalists should be barred from entering the building by any means possible including the use of physical force.
“This suggests that the assault may have been sanctioned by the former National Secretary, raising serious concerns about the party’s position on press freedom. We are, to say the least alarmed when we reached out to Senator Anyanwu who confirmed that he gave instructions restricting movement into the Secretariat because the party is on break,” Ogindan said.
The statement reads further, “This, to say the least, confirms our fears of the clear and present danger to our democratically guaranteed rights to keep Nigerians well informed about happenings around them. The right to information and the freedom to report are fundamental to ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance in any democracy.
“This is even more so that the party has been embroiled in a leadership tussle with a court order confirming Anyanwu’s removal from office. The PDP Press Corps is deeply alarmed by the use of physical force against any human being not just a journalist.
“The media plays a crucial role in holding leaders accountable and fostering public debate. Any action that hinders these rights, particularly by individuals within a political party, poses a dangerous threat to democratic processes. While political differences are natural in any human organization, journalists should not become victims of abuse of power by office holders.
“As a first step, the assault on our member has been reported to the Wuse Division of the Nigeria Police Force. We also demand that the person or persons involved in this clear violation of Mr. Orji’s rights be brought to book to show evidence that violence has no place in the Nigeria we are striving to build.
“The PDP Press Corps calls on the party leadership to address this serious incident and take drastic action against Okoronkwo to serve as deterrent to others. ”
The Court of Appeal had on the 20th December, 2024, upheld the judgment of an Enugu High Court that affirmed Udo-Okoye as Anyanwu’s replacement.
National publicity secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in his immediate reaction to the judgment, said the opposition party would comply with the decision.
Sequel to Ologunagba’s statement, Ude-Okoye stormed the PDP secretariat to resume office as national secretary on the 30th December. According to him, “The main reason why I am here is to resume office. I am resuming today, the 30th of December in obedience to the Appeal Court in Enugu that sacked the former National secretary and made me the national secretary of PDP.”
However, Anyanwu insisted that his lawyers had filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, noting that nobody could send any document to the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), as national secretary.
I’m not sure what Area 52 has to do with any of this?