PDP : Can Anyanwu Survive the Onslaught?

The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) National Working Committee (NWC), last week took steps to lay to rest the controversy over who the authentic National Secretary of the party is, as it  recognises a former national youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party scribe.

The action of the NWC was in tandem with the directive of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) which complies with the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division,  affirming  the ouster of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary.

According to  national publicity secretary of the party,  Debo Ologunagba, the NWC has set machinery in place to get the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) to recognise Ude-Okoye.

Photo: Debo Ologunagba

Since December 2024, the major opposition party, PDP has being on the edge, over who its authentic national secretary is. The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, in a judgment on dispute upheld the verdict of an Enugu High Court, which affirmed the nomination former national youth leader of the party, Ude-Okoye as replacement for  Anyanwu as national secretary.

Prior to the 2021 national convention of the PDP, the opposition party had zoned its National Secretary position to the South East. That was to pave the way for Anyanwu’s emergence as chief scribe of the party.  However, in 2023, the Imo born senator clinched the PDP ticket for the 2023 Imo state gubernatorial contest.

Anyanwu’s emergence as governorship candidate, however, raised questions on the propriety of his continued stay in office as national secretary, owing to the critical role the office plays in party affairs, especially as regards the nomination of party candidates.

Consequently,  the South East caucus resolved to replace him as national secretary on the grounds that the former senator cannot continue to hold the office of secretary and governorship candidate at the same time.  To this end, the caucus  settled for Ude-Okoye to serve the remining part of Anyanwu’s tenure as national secretary.

Nonetheless the issue of who between Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu is the authentic national secretary of the party has since become a subject of litigation. First, a member of the party, Emmanuel Aniagu had approached an Enugu High Court to compel the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to recognise the former national youth leader as party scribe.

In December, 2023 the court granted his prayers and affirmed the nomination of Ude-Okoye as national secretary.  Expectedly, Anyanwu protested. He later took his case before a Federal high Court, in Abuja which gave judgment in his favour.

The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division in its judgment on appeals arising from the judgment of the two lower courts, upheld the judgment of the Enugu High Court, which affirmed the nomination of the former national youth as PDP scribe, while dismissing Anyanwu\s appeal for lack of merit.

Since then both men have been laying claim to the office of national secretary, with the order of Court of Appeal for the parties to maintain status quo ante bellum, becoming a source of confusion.

Anyanwu, who said he had appealed to the Supreme Court, as well as filed for a stay of execution of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, continued to maintain that he remains national secretary.

“I obtained a Federal High Court judgment affirming my position and stating that my tenure remains valid until December 2025. Despite this, on December 20th, the Appeal Court in Enugu ruled in favor of Ude-Okoye. We have since filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, and an interim stay of execution has been granted,” he said.

But Ude-Okoye disagreed, saying, “there is no stay of execution from any court. The Appeal Court ruled that the status quo should be maintained. I assumed office on December 30th, 2024, and I am the National Secretary of the PDP.

“Some individuals are attempting to destabilise the party, but I remain focused on serving without hostility or destruction.”

Premised on the confusion, the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), after a recent meeting resolved to intervene.  Consequently, it mandated a panel headed by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki ( SAN) to interface with the disputants and advice it accordingly.

After a consideration of the committee’s report, the BoT directed the PDP National Working Committee ( NWC),  to swear in the former national youth leader, as party scribe immediately,  in compliance with the Court of Appeal judgment.

Photo: Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)

The Turaki panel , in its report had  noted that, “After  perusing and painstakingly going through all the court documents and processes given to me by the parties, that from the 22nd day of December,2023, Hon.S.K.E Udeh Okoye is the authentic and bonafide National Secretary of our party. That he has not been sworn in by the Acting National Chairman and allowed to perform the functions of that office as directed by the Enugu State High Court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal is immaterial.”This is because ‘equity sees as done that which ought to have been done’. In other words, in the eyes of the law, he is taken to have assumed office of the national secretary of our party effective from the 22nd day of December,2023.”

It added that, “Regardless of Anyanwu’s appeal to the Supreme Court, in our jurisdiction, like in other common law countries, courts do not stay declaratory judgments, as in actual fact there’s nothing to stay in a declaratory order. The cause of confusion is what was the status quo ante bellum as at the 13th of January,2025? “With all due respect, the status quo ante bellum as at the 13t of January, 2025, as I have stated earlier on in my conclusions is one that has Hon. S.K.E.Udeh Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of our party.

“If the Court of Appeal, therefore says that the status quo ante bellum should be maintained, the plain meaning of the directive of the Court is that he should remain in office until the 27th, when the court will hear the application and determine whether his continued occupation of the office should be interfered with or not.”

Before the BoT, the PDP Governors Forum ( PDP-GF) had thrown its weight behind Ude-Okoye.  The  forum, in a communique, after its meeting, in Asaba, the Delta State.

While Anyanwu’s supporters, had continued to kick over  support for Ude-Okoye, by party organs, especially the BoT, the PDP National Legal Adviser,  Kamaldeen Ajibade, (SAN),  in a legal opinion to the PDP acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, opined that it is honourable for parties to accept the mediation of the party elders.

Photo: Kamaldeen Ajibade, (SAN)

Ajibade said, “it is therefore my advice that the contending parties having willingly submitted themselves to the authority of the committee led by Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki (SAN) should be honourable enough to abide by the outcome of the legal opinion/advice stemming from the proceeding they unreservedly consented to, most especially that the said legal opinion/Advise was signed by a well experienced Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and same adopted by the BoT which is the conscience of the party. See Article 32(5) (a) to (i) of the Constitution (amended in 2017) of our great party,” Ajibade stated.

However, while the Supreme Court has fixed March 10 to hear Anyanwu’s appeal, analysts say the turn of events in the opposition party has left the Imo State born former senator, with the short end of the stick.

From losing the support of his South East zone, to the confidence of the BoT, the PDP Governors forum, and the 14 out of the 18 members of the NWC, the support base of the former governorship hopeful has continued to diminish.

Besides, pundits say it is time for the  gladiators in the national secretary contest, which has kept the opposition party on its knees in last seven weeks, to put the interest of the PDP far above their personal interest.