The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Senator Samuel Anyanwu no longer holds any leadership position in the party.
Udeh-Okoye made the declaration on Thursday while responding to a suit filed by Anyanwu, who is challenging his removal as PDP National Secretary.
The Court of Appeal in Enugu, in a December 2024 ruling, upheld a High Court judgment that sacked Anyanwu and recognized Udeh-Okoye as the rightful occupant of the position.
The appellate court held that Anyanwu’s continued stay in office violated the PDP Constitution, as he had contested as the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 Imo election.
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Despite the ruling, Anyanwu sought a stay of execution on the judgments that removed him. He has also taken the matter to the Supreme Court, where a verdict is being awaited.
Following the judgments, the PDP’s Board of Trustees and National Working Committee ratified Udeh-Okoye’s appointment as National Secretary. However, Anyanwu has rejected the decision, arguing that the matter remains sub judice.
In a counter-affidavit filed by his legal team led by Paul Erokoro (SAN), Udeh-Okoye maintained that Anyanwu ceased to be PDP National Secretary following the concurrent rulings of the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Udeh-Okoye told the court that although Anyanwu was elected at the PDP National Convention on October 30, 2021, his tenure ended when he accepted the party’s governorship ticket for the Imo election.
“In line with Article 47(5) of the PDP Constitution, any elected officer must resign before contesting an elective office. Article 47(6) further mandates that a replacement be appointed from the same zone to complete the tenure,” Udeh-Okoye stated.
He added that after Anyanwu refused to vacate office, the PDP’s Board of Trustees, in a letter dated October 12, 2023, alerted the party’s National Chairman, Umar Damagun, to the constitutional breach. Subsequently, the South-East PDP executives met in Enugu on October 16, 2022, and nominated him to complete Anyanwu’s term.
“The litigation that led to the Court of Appeal and High Court judgments stemmed from this decision, and the Supreme Court is now seized of the facts,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has urged the court to dismiss Anyanwu’s case.
In a counter-affidavit deposed to by an INEC official, Mohammed Ayuba, the Commission argued that all parties should await the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter.
“The 1st defendant does not intend to join issues with the plaintiff pending the determination of the appeal at the Supreme Court,” INEC stated.
The Commission further argued that the court lacked jurisdiction over the internal affairs of political parties.
Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter till March 25 for the hearing of preliminary objections alongside the substantive suit.