The Supreme Court has overturned the decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court sacking Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The verdict, delivered on Friday by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, settled the protracted leadership tussle between Mr Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, a dispute that had deepened divisions within the political party.
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In the lead judgement read by a member of the panel, Jamilu Tukur, the Supreme Court held 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 the court.
“The exceptional circumstances that would have given jurisdiction for the court to decide on the internal affairs of a political party were missing,” judge Tukur stated.
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According to the court, such exceptional circumstances include, if the Nigerian Constitution grants the judiciary jurisdiction over the matter, if a crime has been committed or if there is a violation of contractual rights.
With none of these conditions being the case, the court ruled against Mr Anyanwu’s sacking.
The crisis over the PDP National Secretary position began when Mr Anyanwu vacated the role to contest the 2023 Imo State governorship election, which he lost.
Following his defeat in the governorship election, efforts to reclaim his position as secretary led to internal conflict in the party, with Mr Ude-Okoye emerging as a contender for the seat.
On 20 December 2024, the Court of Appeal in Enugu upheld an earlier decision of the Federal High Court, which removed Mr Anyanwu and affirmed Mr Ude-Okoye as the authentic secretary.
However, Mr Anyanwu swiftly filed for a stay of execution and subsequently appealed the decision at the Supreme Court.
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Friday’s ruling by the Supreme Court now puts an end to the legal battle, nullifying Mr Anyanwu’s sacking as the PDP’s National Secretary and reinforcing the principle that political parties should resolve their internal affairs without judicial interference.
The decision is also seen as a subtle victory for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, an ally of Mr Anywanwu. The victory better positions Mr Wike, a former Rivers State governor serving in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government as minister, in his bid to exert firmer grip on the opposition party.
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