The beleaguered National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Anyanwu, asserts that he is the rightful officeholder. Anyanwu made this statement during an appearance on “Nigeria Right Now,” a current affairs show hosted by Dickson Iroegbu. DAILY POST notes that the PDP is currently facing a new crisis, with both Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, a party leader, claiming the position of national secretary. A Court of Appeal ruling in December determined that Ude-Okoye should succeed Anyanwu as the PDP national secretary. This decision followed the south-east zonal executive committee’s nomination of Ude-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he became the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Imo in 2023. Anyanwu had reportedly secured multiple court injunctions to prevent his removal. However, on December 20, 2024, Appeal Court Judge Ridwan Abdullahi dismissed the high court’s ruling that blocked Anyanwu’s removal, citing a lack of merit. In light of this ruling, Ude-Okoye has been presenting himself as the national secretary. Nonetheless, Anyanwu stated that he has appealed the judgment and filed for a stay of execution at the Supreme Court on the same day the Appeal Court ruled in favor of Ude-Okoye. “As we speak today, I’m still the national secretary of PDP,” he affirmed. The reason is that on December 20th, the Enugu appeal court upheld the decision of the Enugu state high court. “Prior to that, I had a ruling from the federal high court that supported my stance.” If you recall, on November 10, 2023, prior to the election, a state high court ruled that I should have resigned before running for governor. “I then approached the federal high court in Abuja, which upheld my stance that as long as my election was by convention, my position is secure until December 9, 2025, when my term will officially conclude,” he stated.
