PDP reinstates Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has restored Samuel Anyanwu to his position as its national secretary.

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The acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagun, announced the decision at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

The decision comes a day after the party’s leadership met with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the leadership crisis in the party.

At the meeting, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had expressed dismay that in the last couple of months, the commission received letters from the party, saying that Sunday Udeh-Okoye was secretary and thereafter changed its mind and said it was Mr Anyanwu and later Setonji Koshoedo.

Mr Damagun, who was accompanied to the press conference by the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and other party leaders said the decision to readmit Mr Anyanwu into the National Working Committee (NWC) “was a difficult decision, but it was accepted by many members of the party led by the organs of the party.”

He added, “Anyanwu is resuming as the National Secretary, that is why I said it was a critical decision. Like INEC said, they don’t have our notice, so what we will have on June 30th is an extended Caucus.”

The chairman also said the party’s earlier scheduled National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting had been cancelled.

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“We will have an expanded Caucus. At the next Caucus, we will take a decision leading to a proper NEC,” Mr Damagum stated.

Meeting with INEC

At the end of the meeting with INEC on Tuesday, Mr Damagun said the party’s leadership would meet with the larger PDP stakeholders and return to the commission on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Mr Mohammed, Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).

Other attendees were a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, and former vice-presidential candidate Ben Obi.

Mr Anyanwu, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had left the office without formally resigning from his position to run for the 2024 governorship election in Imo State.

He was, therefore, replaced by the South-east chapter of the PDP with Mr Udeh-Okoye, a former youth leader of the party.

Mr Anyanwu, a former senator, who lost the governorship election to the incumbent, Hope Uzodinma, approached the court for reinstatement. He lost at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

He challenged the judgement of the Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court, which ruled that the matter was an internal affair of the party.