The PDP’s internal conflict reached a temporary resolution on Monday with the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary. The party is now set for future actions, including convening a proper NEC and addressing the convention matter, as outlined by the Acting Chairman Umar Damagum. This outcome came after a stormy and rowdy
The PDP’s internal conflict reached a temporary resolution on Monday with the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary. The party is now set for future actions, including convening a proper NEC and addressing the convention matter, as outlined by the Acting Chairman Umar Damagum.
This outcome came after a stormy and rowdy session at the Wadata Secretariat of the Party. The intervention of the police was necessary to restore law and order after clashes between opposing factions of the party. At the 100th NEC meeting, the top leaders realised that restoring embattled Anyanwu was crucial to preventing future catastrophes. Failure to make such a decision could lead to dire consequences.
Speaking after the NEC meeting, the acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, said the National Executive Committee (NEC) in session unanimously endorsed the return of Senator Anyanwu and further announced that upon his reinstatement as the party secretary, he would write to the electoral commission of the new development and the next actions of the party as required by the electoral commission.
“I am here to brief you on the outcome of our interaction with NEC as regards the National Secretary. We have all combined in one, we were all together, and we all agree that Senator Anyanwu will continue to function as National Secretary.”
“And also, to bring the issue of the convention up in the next NEC, which is slated for the 23rd of next month. At that time, we will be able to convene a proper NEC, which I and Senator Anyanwu will sign, which is to fulfil the regulatory requirement of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in convening meetings.”
“We’ve all come together and agreed that Senator Anyanwu will continue to serve as National Secretary,” Damagum said. “The issue of the convention has also been deferred to the next NEC, slated for the 23rd of next month. At that meeting, we will be able to convene a proper NEC, where both Senator Anyanwu and I will co-sign communications in compliance with INEC requirements,” he said.
Damagum also warned the party’s detractors who wanted the meeting to fall apart and for the party to continue to experience a fall apart, saying, “to those who thought this meeting would fall apart or mark the end of the PDP—this party remains the only one in the country that has consistently convened its conventions as required.
“As you can see, all our governors attended the meeting, and members of the NWC were united. You will no longer see the barrage of press statements and counter-statements that have recently trailed the party.”
Before the NEC meeting, which was later held, the Board of Trustees meeting of the party had been prevented from being held at the party headquarters due to the barricade of the security operatives who blocked the entrance to the venue of the meeting on Monday morning.
The development sparked reactions and raised eyebrows among the party’s prominent leaders, who viewed the police action as a violation of fundamental rights and an act of high-handedness. They BoT later moved the meeting to the Yar’Adua Centre in the Central Business District.
Meanwhile, the barricade of the security could not be separated from the fact that the BoT had earlier kicked against the pronouncement of Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Party by the acting chairman of the party last week; according to the police, that open disagreement raised a security concern, which put them on their toes and made them avoid the possible violence at the PDP secretariat.
Despite the back and forth, the leadership crisis that has been rocking the PDP seemed to be heading for an end, provided that all the factional stakeholders are on the same page with the pronouncement of Anyanwu’s reinstatement as the party’s substantive secretary.
Recall that the party leadership crisis, particularly the debate over who should lead the party’s secretariat, began in 2023, when Senator Anyanwu was named the PDP’s governorship candidate in Imo State. Upon his position as the party flagbearer in the election, there was a debate over whether or not he should still hold the position of national secretary. Some of the members of the party’s National Working Committee asked him to vacate the office.
While Mr Anyanwu insisted on retaining his position as national secretary despite contesting for office, the South-east chapter of the party and some members of the NWC backed Mr Sunday Mr Udeh-Okoye as his replacement.
After losing the election to Hope Uzodinma in the Imo state governorship election, Senator Anyanwu, who did not submit his resignation letter, returned to his position, leading to legal battles between him and Mr Udeh-Okoye.
After a long argument, a High Court in Enugu State ordered the PDP to replace Mr Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary with Mr Ude-Okoye in October 2023. The former PDP national youth leader filed the suit.
The PDP’s NWC had countered the order in a motion filed on 24 October 2023. The NWC argued in the motion that “fraud and suppression of material facts” obtained the order. It also faulted the order for not being specific about what position Mr Udeh-Okoye should fill.
In another twist, a Federal High Court in Abuja, in 2024, declared Senator Anyanwu as the valid national secretary of the PDP. The judge, Inyang Ekwo, also restrained the PDP national leadership from appointing any person as its acting national secretary until the expiration of Mr Anyanwu’s four-year tenure on 9 December 2025, as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
Not satisfied with the new court ruling, Mr Okoye filed an appeal in Enugu, which upheld the High Court’s decision that Mr Ude-Okoye be recognised as the PDP’s national secretary against Mr Anyanwu.
In the judgement by Ridwan Abdullahi, the appellate court said Senator Anyanwu’s claim to the position after he contested and emerged as the PDP governorship election in Imo State violated the party’s constitution, and his appeal had no merit.
Despite the judgement, Mr Anyanwu refused to vacate office and appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court. Mr Ude-Okoye, on his part, assumed duty on 30 December 2024 on the strength of the judgement.
However, on 21 March 2025, the Supreme Court nullified the judgements of the lower courts, which sacked Mr Anyanwu as the PDP national secretary.
While Mr Anyanwu celebrated the court overturning his sack, the PDP leadership in the South-east expressed happiness that the court held that both courts had no jurisdiction to hear the case in the first instance.
Despite the pronouncement of Samuel Anyanwu as the secretary, some caucus of the party did not want to recognise him as the secretary, as they see him as someone who defers to the former governor of Rivers State, Nysome Wike.
However, the current development suggests that the People’s Democratic Party is prepared to reorganise, particularly with the 2027 general elections rapidly approaching.
