ABUJA, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is embroiled in confusion following a Supreme Court judgment that reinstated Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary, a decision that contradicts the stance of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The NWC insists that Sunday Ude-Okoye remains the substantive National Secretary, creating a rift within the party’s leadership.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered by a five-member panel on Friday, March 21, 2025, ruled that the matter of party leadership is an internal affair and should not be subject to judicial intervention.
The apex court set aside the decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier removed Anyanwu and affirmed Ude-Okoye as National Secretary.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment, stated that the lower courts lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case, as it concerned the internal affairs of the PDP.
The court also noted that the plaintiff, Aniagwu Emmanuel, failed to demonstrate how Anyanwu’s position as National Secretary affected him personally.
“The exceptional circumstances that would have given jurisdiction for the court to decide on the internal affairs of a political party were missing,” Justice Tukur said.
“The Nigerian Constitution does not grant the court such jurisdiction, and there was no commission of a crime or violation of contractual rights.”
Anyanwu, who had been replaced by Ude-Okoye after being nominated as the PDP’s governorship candidate for the 2023 Imo State election, welcomed the judgment.
Accompanied by supporters, he arrived at the PDP National Headquarters in Abuja shortly after the ruling.
“I want to assure my colleagues in the NWC that we are one family,” Anyanwu said. “We came in here as one family, and we will leave as one family. It would not be right for only me to leave. Whoever may have acted out of deceit, I will not hold it against them.”
He called for unity within the party, urging members to focus on the 2027 elections.
“Our aim is to win the election in 2027. I appeal to all those causing confusion in our party to please desist, because this is the only party we have, and we cannot destroy it,” he added.
However, the NWC, in a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, maintained that Ude-Okoye is the legitimate National Secretary.
The committee argued that the Supreme Court’s judgment reaffirmed the party’s internal mechanisms for resolving leadership disputes.
“The NWC at its 576th meeting held on the 11th of October 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement for Senator Samuel Anyanwu upon Senator Anyanwu’s nomination as the governorship candidate of the PDP to contest the November 2023 governorship election in Imo State,” the statement read.
The NWC described the judgment as a victory for democracy and party supremacy, urging members to remain united.
Despite the NWC’s stance, the party’s headquarters in Abuja was eerily quiet on Saturday, March 22, 2025, with no senior officials present.
Staff members were seen debating the implications of the judgment, while many stakeholders declined to comment, citing the need to review the Certified True Copy of the ruling.
The PDP has been grappling with internal divisions since the 2023 elections, with tensions escalating over leadership roles and party direction.
