Again, South-east PDP backs Udeh-Okoye as its national secretary amidst legal war

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-east zone has again restated its support for  Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the party. 

At a meeting in Enugu on Friday, the PDP leaders jointly approved the zoning of national and zonal offices allocated to the South-east Zone.

There has been an intense contest about who is the authentic national secretary of the PDP, between Samuel Anyanwu and a former PDP national youth leader, Mr Ude-Okoye.

The matter is currently being argued at various courts, including Nigeria’s Supreme Court.

Support for Udeh-Okoye

The PDP leaders, in a communique issued at the end of its meeting held at the Government House Enugu, said the party in the zone remained one, big and united capable of handling any issues arising in the party in the zone.

They warned unnamed “external troublemakers” to steer clear of the affairs of the party in the South-east region.

The National Vice-Chairperson of the PDP South-east, Ali Odefa, read out the communique at the end of the meeting.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, who is also the leader of the party in the zone, attended the meeting.

Also in attendance at the meeting were a former President of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara, Senate Minority Whip, Osita Ngwu and other members of the National Assembly, among others.

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Mr Odefa, while reading out the communique, said the leaders deliberated on the affairs of the PDP, particularly on how to restore the fortunes of the party in the South-east region and Nigeria in general.

He said the party also deliberated on internal crises bedeviling the party at the national level and the attempts to encroach on the jurisdictions of the party in the South-east.

“The meeting deliberated on the unfortunate, but contrived controversies surrounding the Office of the National Secretary of the PDP zoned to the South-east region,” he said.

The national vice-chairperson of the PDP South-east said the party leadership in the South-east has frowned at attempts by some individuals to cause disaffection or precipitate a crisis in the party in the region.

“The party commends the Court of Appeal judgement upholding Hon. S.K.E Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the party in line with the constitution of our party and the position of the South-east Zonal Executive Committee of our party. We also remain consistent and united in this position that Hon. Udeh-Okoye remains the national secretary of our party,” Mr Odefa said, reading out the communique.

“We continue to trust the judiciary to continuously do justice on the matter.”

Background

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 suit was filed by the former PDP national youth leader.

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 as to 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, a former national youth leader, 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.

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 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.

Recently, the PDP national spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba and his Deputy, Ibrahim Abdullahi, countered as to who is the authentic national secretary.

Mr Ologunagba recognised Mr Ude-Okoye as the PDP national secretary, citing the Enugu’s court of appeal judgment.

But Mr Abdullahi countered him and affirmed Mr Anyanwu as the rightful national secretary of the party, relying on the order by the High Court in Abuja.