A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samuel Anyanwu, has said he is the authentic National Secretary of the party.
The major opposition party is embroiled in a fresh crisis as both Anyanwu and another party chieftain, Sunday Ude-Okoye, are claiming the position of national secretary.
Drum Africa reports that In December 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled that Ude-Okoye should replace Anyanwu as the PDP national secretary.
The South East Zonal Executive Committee of the party nominated Udeh-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he became the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Imo in the 2023 election.
Anyanwu had obtained several court injunctions preventing his removal from office.
However, in a judgment delivered on December 20, 2024, the appeal court judge, Ridwan Abdullahi, dismissed the high court’s judgment, which prevented Anyanwu’s removal, for “lacking in merit”.
Following the judgment, Ude-Okoye has been parading himself as the party’s national secretary, and the party has affirmed him as its authentic scribe.
Speaking during an interview on YouTube on Thursday on a current affairs programme, Nigeria Right Now, Anyanwu said he had appealed the judgment of the High Court.
The PDP chieftain added that he had filed for a stay of execution at the Supreme Court on the same day the appeal court delivered the verdict in favour of Ude-Okoye.
“As we speak today, I’m still the national secretary of PDP,” he said.
“The reason is that on the 20th of December, there was a court judgment from the appeal court of Enugu affirming the judgment of the Enugu State High Court.
“Before then, I had a federal high court judgment which affirmed my position. If you remember, sometime in 2023, before the election, precisely on the 10th of November 2023, there was a state high court judgment which said I should have resigned before vying for the office of the governor.
Then I went to the federal high court here in Abuja, which confirmed my position that as long as I was elected by convention, my position is sacrosanct until the 9th of December 2025, when my position will officially end.
“Incidentally, the people that (filed) the case continued the matter at the appeal court. On the 20th of December, the court (delivered) a judgment in which N1 million cost was awarded against them.
“However, on the same 20th, we appealed the matter and then filed for a stay of execution, which is normal because the appeal court is not the highest court. So, what does that mean? It means that the status quo should remain.”
Anyanwu also stated that the PDP is not factionalised and is being led by its national chairman, Umar Damagum.
“There is no faction in PDP. The PDP is led by the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum,” he added.
