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  • Supreme Court restores Anyanwu as PDP’s National Secretary

    Supreme Court restores Anyanwu as PDP’s National Secretary

    ABUJA–The Supreme Court, on Friday, restored Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

    The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, vacated the concurrent verdicts of the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal in Enugu, which sacked him from office.

    In the lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the apex court held that the two lower courts were bereft of the jurisdiction to dabble into domestic affairs of a political party that was not justiciable.

    Consequently, the Supreme Court panel affirmed the minority judgement of the appellate court which nullified the decision of the trial court on account of lack of jurisdiction.

    More so, the apex court held that the plaintiff, Mr. Aniagu Emmanuel,whose suit led to Anyanwu’s removal from office, lacked the locus standi (legal right) to institute the action.

    It held that the plaintiff failed to establish how he was affected by who occupied the office of the National Secretary of PDP.

    The appellate court had in a judgement it delivered last December, upheld the High Court verdict that sacked Senator Anyanwu and recognized Chief Udeh-Okoye Enemchukwu as the authentic national scribe of the party.

    In its lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, the appellate court dismissed as incompetent and lacking in merit, Anyanwu’s bid to upturn the decision of the high court.

    The court held that Anyanwu’s continued stay in office as National Secretary was in breach of PDP’s Constitution, having contested and emerged as the party’s candidate in the governorship election that held in Imo State last year.

    However, dissatisfied with the concurrent judgements of the two courts, Anyanwu approached the Supreme Court to set them aside.

    Aside from his substantive appeal, he equally filed a motion for accelerated hearing and for the abridgment of time within which the matter would be determined, citing the crucial role of the office of National Secretary in the affairs of the political party.

    It will be recalled that both the Board of Trustees, BOT, and the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP, had earlier endorsed Chief Okoye as the National Secretary of the party, in line with the subsisting court judgements.

    Anyanwu outrightly rejected the decisions, insisting that the position was the subject of a pending litigation.

  • Court declines Anyanwu’s application stopping his planned removal

    Court declines Anyanwu’s application stopping his planned removal

    A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, declined to grant an application filed by Sen. Samuel Anyanwu seeking to stop his planned removal as National Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on Anyanwu’s motion ex-parte moved by his lawyer, Ken Njemanze, SAN, rather ordered him to put the defendants on notice to show cause in the next adjourned date why his prayers should not be granted.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Anyanwu, in the fresh suit named the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ambassador Umar Damagun, the acting National Chairman of PDP, as 1st and 2nd defendants.
    In the motion ex-parte, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025 dated and filed on Feb. 13 by Njemanze, Anyanwu sought two prayers.

    He sought an order of interim injunction, restraining INEC from accepting, acting on or giving effect to any correspondence, letter, document, mail, notice, form and or written submission purported to emanate from the PDP not signed by him pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

    He also sought an order of interim injunction restraining Damagun from dispatching to INEC any correspondence purportedly emanating from PDP signed by the acting chair and not counter signed by him, pending the hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed simultaneously with this motion ex-parte.

    Anyanwu, in the affidavit in support of the motion, said he was the party’s national secretary.

    He said he was duly elected as the national secretary at the PDP’s National Convention held on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, 2021 in Abuja.

    “Since the aforesaid election, I have been performing my duties and functions as stipulated by the constitution of the PDP, extant laws and regulations,” he said.

    Anyanwu averred that as national secretary, he and Damagun (2nd defendant) were signatories to all correspondence, letters, mails, documents, notices, forms, and or written submissions from the party.

    “All correspondence, letters, mails, documents, notices, forms and or written submissions from the PDP to the 1st defendant (INEC) cannot be acted on, implemented or given effect to by the 1st defendant without my signature,” he said.

    Anyanwu listed the correspondence, notices, written submissions etc., that must be signed by him to include notices of any convention, congress, conference or meetings of the party and list of candidates the party proposes to sponsor at elections.

    He said on Dec. 22, 2023, the Enugu State High Court delivered judgment in suit number: . E/882/2023 between Aniagu Emmanuel vs. PDP & Ors which touched on the position of the national secretary of the party.

    Dissatisfied with the said judgment, he and the PDP filed separate and distinct appeals to the court of appeal.
    He said the appeal court dismissed the appeals filed by him and PDP and he and the party had appealed against the decision at the Supreme Court

    “Notices of Appeal filed by the plaintiff and the Peoples Democratic Party are annexed and marked EXHIBITS “E” and “F” respectively,” he said.

    He said he timeously compiled and transmitted the record of appeal, and the appeal had been entered in the Supreme Court as appeal number: SC/CV/18/ 2025 between Sen. Samuel N. Anyanwu vs. Aniagu Emmanuel & Ors.

    Anyanwu averred that the application for stay of execution and injunction pending appeal filed by the PDP came up for hearing on Jan. 13, 2025 before the Appeal Court.

    He said the appellate court made a positive and unequivocal interim order that the parties should maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of the motion for stay of execution and injunction pending appeal.

    Anyanwu insisted that he remained the incumbent national secretary of the PDP.

    According to him, his term of office has not expired.

    “There are subterranean moves or attempts by the defendants to subvert my authority as National Secretary of the said political party.

    “Unless restrained, the defendants would subvert my authority,” he begged the court.

    Anyanwu urged the court to grant his prayers in the interest of justice.

    After hearing Njemanze’s submission, Justice Ekwo, held that it would be appropriate for INEC and Damagun to be put on notice for them to come and show cause why the reliefs should not be granted.

    Justice Ekwo directed the plaintiff to serve the court processes on the two defendants and fixed Feb. 24 for the case to be heard.

    “Upon hearing the learner silk for the plaintiff/applicant’s motion ex-parte and upon studying the prayers and the averments in the affidavit and the exhibits, I am of the opinion that a case of urgency has been established.

    “The plaintiff/applicant should put the respondents on notice within two days of this order,” he said.

    The judge, who also ordered that the processes in the suit should be served on the respondents within two days of the order, adjourned the matter until Feb. 24 for the respondents to show cause.

     

  • PDP Crisis: They want me out because of Wike — Anyanwu

    PDP Crisis: They want me out because of Wike — Anyanwu

    The embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has revealed that certain party leaders were hell-bent on forcing him out of office because of his insistence on due process, respect for the rule of law and his long-standing relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.

    Anyanwu told Sunday Vanguard that some of the party’s leaders from his zone (South East) consider him a stumbling block to their political ambitions, part of which include taking over the party structure.

    He said, “I was validly nominated and elected as National Secretary of this great party at a national convention and our constitution clearly spells out how a person occupying positions in the National Working Committee can be replaced if the need arises.

    “I took time off to contest for the governorship of my state and the Deputy National Secretary acted while I was away. Our constitution gives me the power to delegate functions to my deputy.

    “It was strange that while I was campaigning, some people went as far as forging documents by illegally altering our party guidelines and inserted a clause which is not in the original document to say I must resign. The police are investigating, I won’t say much on that.”

    “Everybody knows my relationship with (Chief Nyesom) Wike. We were local government chairmen and members of the PDP, I cannot deny him.”

    Anyanwu accused some of the party’s governors of working in cohorts with a section of the Board of Trustees (BoT) in pursuit of an agenda to weaken the party for selfish gains.

    He noted that the advice of both bodies that Sunday Udeh-Okoye be immediately sworn in as the substantive National Secretary, following a Court of Appeal judgement was simply “a proxy war.”

    The PDP Governors Forum had during their monthly meeting in Asaba, Delta State, endorsed Udeh-Okoye as National Secretary.

    They based their decision on an Enugu Court of Appeal judgment recognizing Udeh-Okoye as the bonafide occupant of the position.

    The BoT soon followed with their support for the position taken by the governors.
    Members of the BoT took their decision after adopting the report of a committee they had set up to examine the claims being made by both Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye.

    The committee which was chaired by. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), recommended that Udeh-Okoye be sworn in immediately based on the court judgment.

  • PDP crisis: BoT orders NWC to swear in Ude-Okoye as National Secretary, Anyanwu kicks

    PDP crisis: BoT orders NWC to swear in Ude-Okoye as National Secretary, Anyanwu kicks

    The Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has directed the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, to immediately swear in Sunday Ude-Okoye as substantive national secretary, in line with the declarative judgment of Enugu High Court which was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

    Read Also:PDP crisis: Battleground shifts to courtrooms

    This was contained in a communique issued after an emergency meeting of the board at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, yesterday.
    Chairman of the BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, who read the communique, explained that the body thoroughly considered critical issues in the party before arriving at the decision.

    He noted that the board also received, considered and adopted the recommendations of the Saminu Turaki-led committee set up to look into the court judgments on the dispute between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye over the national secretary position.

    However, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, yesterday dismissed the directive of the Board of Trustees (BoT), to the National Working Committee (NWC), to swear -in his rival on the grounds that the matter was still in Court and that the tenures of about 80 percent of members of the BoT who attended Wednesday’s meeting at the Transcorps Hilton Hotel expired in October last year.

    Wabara

    Wabara had said the BoT resolved as follows: “The Board of Trustees asserts its position as a prominent ORGAN of the PDP as enshrined under Section 13 (1)(r) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).

    “The BoT also asserts its inherent authority under Section 32 (5)(a) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) which empowers it to “ensure highest standards of morality in all the activities of the Party by acting as the conscience of the Party, with powers to call to order any officer of the Party, whose conduct falls below the norms;

    “The BoT in exercise of its constitutional powers received, exhaustively considered and hereby adopt the report of its committee led by Barr. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, on the issue of the National Secretary of the PDP especially with regard to the declarative judgment of the High Court of Enugu as upheld by the Court of Appeal.

    “Consequently, the BoT by adopting the report recognizes Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full obedience to the declaratory Judgment of the High Court of Enugu as also upheld by the Court of Appeal there being no contrary or overriding judgment from any Court of superior jurisdiction.

    “The BoT charges the National Working Committee, NWC, to recognize and immediately swear in Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP in obedience to the Judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    “The BoT urges all party organs, critical stakeholders, leaders and members across the country as well as all democracy development partners and institutions to be guided by the judgment of the Court of Appeal with regard to the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.

    “The BoT commends the PDP Governors’ Forum, the National Working Committee, South East Executive Committee and all other organs of the Party for their steadfastness in upholding the provisions of the Constitution and operational Guidelines of the PDP.

    “The BoT expresses satisfaction with the PDP Governors’ Forum and the National Working Committee, NWC, for their concerted efforts in finally setting Thursday, March 13th, 2025 as the date for the much-anticipated National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of our party, especially bearing in mind that the NEC meeting is the platform for critical deliberations that will shape the future of our party and by extension, the future of Nigeria.”

    According to Wabara, the board unanimously passed a vote of confidence on chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, for their outstanding leadership in piloting the affairs of the BoT and stabilizing the party.

    The board also urged all members of the party to remain united and continue to work together to strengthen the party to reclaim its rightful place in the leadership of the country.
    Recall that Senator Anyanwu, who was PDP candidate in the 2023 governorship election in Imo State, held on to his position as national secretary.

    Although the PDP constitution did not compel him to resign to contest, PDP stakeholders in the South East

    held a meeting in Enugu and resolved to nominate Ude-Okoye as his replacement, arguing that the position was the zone’s.

    Anyanwu faults BoT, says tenure of 80% of members expired last year

    According to Anyanwu, “I’m a member of the BoT, I was not invited to the meeting, the National Chairman too, who is also member wasn’t invited to the meeting that should tell you something.

    “In any case, the tenure of about 80 percent of those who sat at that meeting expired since October last year.

    “They are also aware that this matter is in Court even the Chairman, Wabara was taken to court and sent a representative to stand for him today. Their advice is what it is, an advice, it cannot be taken seriously.”

  • PDP crisis: Anyanwu resumes office as National Secretary

    PDP crisis: Anyanwu resumes office as National Secretary

    ABUJA: Senator Samuel Anyanwu has resumed office as National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He drove into the party’s National Secretariat at Wadata House through the service gate located behind the building without fanfare.

    Anyanwu then exchanged pleasantries with the handful of secretariat staff available before proceeding into his office.

    This is coming barely 48 hours after he petitioned security agencies to come to
    his aid to stop what he described as an attempt by the party’s 12 governors to cause chaos with their decision to recognize Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye, another claimant to the position.

    The Governor Bala Mohammed-led 12-member PDP Governors Forum had in a communique issued after their monthly meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital on Friday, recognized Ude-Okoye as National Secretary basing their decision on an Appeal Court Judgement.

    However, Anyanwu who said he was in possession of a valid stay of execution order insists on remaining in office until his pending appeal at the Supreme Court is dispensed with.

    Meanwhile, normal activities are going on at the Secretariat. Regular policemen and women attached to the Secretariat complex can be seen at their duty posts.

    …Details later

  • PDP crisis: Thugs clash over at Bo Anyanwu, Ude-OkoyeT meeting

    PDP crisis: Thugs clash over at Bo Anyanwu, Ude-OkoyeT meeting

    ABUJA: A fight broke out between thugs loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and those loyal to his challenger, Hon. Sunday Udo-Okoye, after the latter was forced out of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) Hall venue of the 79th Board of Trustees meeting.

    Trouble started when Anyanwu’s loyalists who were already seated in the hall, drew the Ahmed Makarfi-led BoT Secretariat to Udo-Okoye’s presence.

    They insisted that Udo-Okoye should leave because he was not a member of the board.

    To demonstrate their seriousness, one
    of Anyanwu’s aides, Emmanuel Okoronkwo took it upon himself to physically remove Udo-Okoye after manhandling him and pushing him out of the hall.

    Outnumbered, Ude-Okoye who was at this time outside the hall, beckoned on his supporters who were lurking outside. Some of them scaled the Secretariat fence to force their principal back into the hall but they were prevented from doing by the armed security operatives.

    The operatives were however able to temporarily contain the situation and the 79th BoT meeting went ahead.

    Earlier, Anyanwu who was the first to arrive took his seat on the high table alongside the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara and Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagun.

    His rival, Udo-Okoye who was dressed in a blue national attire with a red cap; walked into the hall at exactly 12:02 pm and also took a seat at the extreme end of the high table. He sat through the opening ceremony.

    The BoT Chairman, Senator Wabara, addressed the gathering where he implored all to set aside personal interests to rebuild the party in the interest of Nigerians.

    Speaking in a similar vein, Damagum in his address of welcome accused party leaders of fueling the crisis in the party.

    He called on everyone to conduct a soul search and make sacrifices for the party’s survival.

    As at the time of filing this report (1:35pm), three Army pick up trucks had arrived at the Secretariat and are packed meters away from the venue of the meeting. The BoT meeting is still ongoing.

    …Details later