The South East Zonal Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has presented the re-nomination of Sunday Udeh-Okoye to the PDP’s acting National Working Committee (NWC) as the party’s national secretary.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the leadership of the PDP in the South-east, on 14 May, renominated Mr Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary.
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The party leadership in the region announced the resolution in a communique issued at the end of their meeting in Enugu on 14 May.
They also resolved to consider dumping the PDP if the party’s national leadership fails to approve their nomination of Mr Udeh-Okoye as its national secretary.
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There has been an intense contest between Samuel Anyanwu and Mr Ude-Okoye about who the authentic national secretary of the PDP is.
Presentation of renomination
The Enugu West Senator, Osita Ngwu, presented the resolution of the PDP leaders in the South-east to the party’s acting NWC in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mr Ngwu, the minority whip in the Senate, recalled efforts by party organs and leaders, including the PDP Governors’ Forum, to address the crisis in the party over the position of national secretary.
The senator also recalled that following the Supreme Court’s judgement, the governors’ forum met in Oyo State on 14 April with a resolution on the matter, which the NWC adopted.
He pointed out that the forum resolved that the South-east Zonal Executive Committee should meet and nominate a candidate for the contentious position.
Mr Ngwu said that the zonal leaders met on 14 May at the Enugu State Government House and unanimously renominated Mr Udeh-Okoye as its nominee for the position.
He urged the party’s NWC to look into their request.
“We are asking you to look at a zone that has been the backdrop and backbone of the PDP.
“A zone that has delivered all the National Assembly members, all governors to the PDP in the past, a zone that is eager to redeem its past glory,” he said.
Mr Ngwu continued, “We are praying that the request of this zone should not be jeopardised. Let us look at it based on the point of its merits.
“Let it be a stepping stone in our urge and our drive to reposition our party.
“We are not here to make another request, but we are speaking to our consciences so that whatever decision that is taken at the end should be for the interest of the party.’’
The senator said that the position of the South-east on the issue had always been to find a pathway and a lasting resolution to the crisis rocking the PDP.
“We are looking for lasting peace so that we can perform better in the upcoming and subsequent election,’’ he said.
NWC receives renomination
The PDP acting National Chairperson, Umar Damagum, received the resolution of the South-east leadership of the PDP renominating Mr Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary.
Mr Damagum, represented by the Deputy National Chairperson (South), Taofeek Arapaja, expressed confidence in the PDP’s ability to reclaim the South-east.
The acting national chairperson pledged that the party leadership would look into their resolution and forward its recommendation to the National Executive Committee at its meeting scheduled for 27 May.
He urged party members, especially aggrieved members in the South-east, not to leave the PDP, but to jointly work together to resolve all issues.
“I understand why you are not happy, but even as you are angry out there, we can find a solution.
“It’s like a landlord running out of his own house, because the house is leaking.
“So, we’ll do our best. We’ll do it to fix the problem, and I know we can do it, together we can do it. There is a solution,” he said.
Mr Damagum described the PDP as a party that will overcome its challenges.
“PDP is the only party where you can feel peaceful, you can express your opinion. It’s just like that in any family.
“We can do it. We can resolve it. And I know, and I’m quite sure, that PDP will overcome,” he said.
Background on national secretary squabble
Mr Anyanwu, the substantive occupant of the position, stepped aside to contest in the 11 November 2023 Imo State governorship election on the PDP platform but lost to the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress.
He did not, however, submit a letter of resignation for the national secretary position of the party.
Meanwhile, in October 2023, some weeks before the Imo election, the leadership of the PDP in the South-east nominated Mr Ude-Okoye to replace Mr Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the position of the national secretary was zoned to the South-east by the PDP in 2021 ahead of the party’s national convention on 30 October of that year.
In the heat of the debate, a High Court in Enugu State, in October 2023, ordered the PDP to replace Mr Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary with Mr Ude-Okoye. The former PDP national youth leader filed the suit.
The PDP’s NWC had countered the order in a motion filed on 24 October 2023.
In the motion, the NWC asked the court to set aside the order, arguing that “it was obtained by fraud and suppression of material facts” and also faulted the order for not being specific about what position Mr Udeh-Okoye should fill.
In another twist, earlier in January 2024, a Federal High Court in Abuja declared Mr Anyanwu as the valid national secretary of the PDP.
The judge, Inyang Ekwo, also restrained the national leadership of the PDP from appointing any person as its acting national secretary until the expiration of Mr Anyanwu’s four-year tenure on 9 December 2025, as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
In December, the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, upheld the High Court’s ruling that Mr Ude-Okoye be recognised as the national secretary of the PDP against Mr Anyanwu.
In the lead judgement by Ridwan Abdullahi, the appellate court said Mr Anyanwu’s claim to the position after he contested and emerged as the PDP governorship election in Imo State violated the party’s constitution, and his appeal had no merit.
Despite the judgement, Mr Anyanwu refused to vacate office and appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court.
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Mr Ude-Okoye, on his part, assumed duty on 30 December on the strength of the judgement.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja, in January 2025, ordered both parties to maintain the status quo until the Supreme Court resolves the appeal.
Messrs Udeh-Okoye and Anyanwu interpreted the court order differently.
Mr Ude-Okoye believes that the status quo means that he should continue to function as the PDP national secretary as pronounced by the Court of Appeal.
Mr Anyanwu, on his part, argued that the court’s status quo order amounted to a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal judgment affirming Mr Ude-Okoye as national secretary.
However, the Supreme Court, on 21 March 2025, nullified the judgements of the lower courts which sacked Mr Anyanwu as the PDP national secretary.
While Mr Anyanwu celebrated the court overturning his sack, the PDP leadership in the South-east expressed happiness that the court held that both courts had no jurisdiction to hear the case in the first instance.
The South-east PDP celebrated the ruling of the court that matters relating to the leadership or membership of a political party fall strictly within the party’s internal affairs and should not be the business of any court.
