Confusion As PDP Leaders Split Over A/Court Judgment Sacking Anyanwu As Party Scribe

Moves by a faction in the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to sidestep a judgement of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, have deepened the cracks in the crisis of confidence rocking the main opposition party.

THE WHISTLER had earlier reported that the appellate court, in December 2024, affirmed the judgment of a Federal High Court, which removed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP.

Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, who read the lead judgement, had declared Sunday Ude-Okoye as the substantive national secretary of the PDP. Ude-Okoye was the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader before the court’s pronouncement.

Anyanwu had, in 2023, left his seat as National Secretary to contest the Imo State governorship election without relinquishing his position.

Upon losing the election, he came back to reclaim the seat, but PDP stakeholders in the Southeast zone had already nominated Ude-Okoye as his replacement while he was away.

Justice Abdullahi of the Appeal Court, Enugu, dismissed Anyanwu’s appeal challenging his removal by the lower court on the ground that the appeal lacked merit because he acted in violation of the PDP constitution.

However, attempts by Ude-Okoye to assume office as National Secretary on the strength of the judgment of the appellate court are being thwarted by Anyanwu, who belonged to a faction led by the Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

Twists in the crisis have split the National Working Committee (NWC) down the middle, with Damagum leading a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. The other faction claims to stand for the rule of law and the stability of the party.

The two factions now have separate official spokespersons. While the incumbent National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, speaks for the pro-rule of law faction, his deputy, Ibrahim Abdullahi, speaks for the Damagum faction.

The Damagum faction claims that Anyanwu had gone to the Court of Appeal, Abuja, where he obtained a stay of executive of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu. But the faction that Ologunagba speaks for insists that the judgment was a declarative one that cannot be stayed.

And while the Ologunagba faction recognises Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary as ordered by the Court of Appeal, the Damagum camp is backing Anyanwu to frustrate the execution of the judgment.

At a media briefing on Friday, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi, said the party was served the stay of execution order on Thursday, adding that Anyanwu had already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.

According to him, the said stay of execution order restricted the PDP from effecting the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu, that upheld the removal of Anyanwu and recognised Ude-Okoye as National Secretary, “pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed at the Supreme Court.”

Abdullahi added that the hearing in the appeal filed by Anyanwu at the Supreme Court is fixed for January 28 and that parties have been ordered to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit.

However, the party leadership had in the past complied with court rulings removing two PDP national chairmen, Prince Uche Secondus and Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

While Secondus was removed by a high court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in August 2021, Ayu was sacked by a high court in Markudi, Benue State, in March 2023. In the two instances, Secondus and Ayu had stayed away while appealing the court rulings that restrained them.

Ironically, Damagum, who was appointed Acting National Chairman to replace Ayu in compliance with the ruling of the court, is now leading a faction of the NWC to undermine a judgment of an appellant court.

The PDP has been in crisis following disagreements between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and incumbent Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the 2023 PDP presidential ticket.

And while Wike is backing the Damagum faction to retain Anyanwu, key stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the party’s governors, are lined behind Ude-Okoye.