Abuja Staff of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Secretariat are resentful as the party returns from vacation on Monday.
The two candidates for the position of national secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, have remained adamant about taking back their positions.
However, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the party’s former Senate President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, has advised the National Working Committee (NWC) to follow the ruling of the Appeal Court, which dismissed Senator Samuel Anyanwu and confirmed Ude Okoye as the party’s national secretary.
Senator Anyanwu is contesting Ude-Okoye’s designation as the party’s substantive national secretary at the Supreme Court after it was upheld by a High Court and a Court of Appeal.
The Appellate Court declared that Anyanwu’s choice to stay in office after winning the PDP’s bid for governor of Imo State in the 2023 elections was an anomaly, even if it upheld Ude Okoye’s claim to the seat.
Anyanwu insists he stays in office until the Supreme Court makes a decision, citing his filing for a stay of execution and his current appeal as justifications for his refusal to leave office.
However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, verified that Ude-Okoye had been named national secretary, armed with the two court rulings that validate his position.
Depo said,“We have received the judgment of the Court of Appeal that affirmed S. K. E. Udo-Okoye, as national secretary of PDP. “We, as a party, are bound by that judgment because it’s the highest judgment to date. And we will take appropriate action as a party. We are part of a responsible political party to ensure that that decision of the law is compiled with.”
Party employee who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals voiced concerns about their safety but expressed hope that troublemakers would be discouraged by the expected deployment of security personnel. The statement said, “The tussle between the Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye over this position is beyond the two individuals involved. It is about the rule of law. “We don’t know what will happen tomorrow (today) because I hear the two of them want to come with their supporters and you know what that means. “There cannot be two captains in one ship, there is only one office, there can’t be two national secretaries occupying it at the same time.”
Another staff said, “Well, I’m not a lawyer and like most of us here, we are ready to work with anyone elected to occupy the office. “I know the court has pronounced Okoye but Anyanwu is still in court. As a lay man, I think it is only a final decision by the Supreme Court that can settle this matter.” Ude-Okoye, who was last sighted at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, last Thursday, told reporters he had taken over and was prepared to breathe new life into the party’s administrative processes.
Wabara informs NWC to follow the court’s ruling confirming Okoye as PDP scribe and BoT chair. Sen. Adolphus Wabara, the former president of the Senate and chairman of the PDP’s board of trustees, has advised the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to follow the ruling of the Appeal Court that dismissed Senator Samuel Anyanwu and confirmed Ude Okoye as the party’s national secretary.
According to him, the party must only cooperate as a party that upholds the rule of law because the execution of the judgment “cannot be stayed” and can only be disputed in a higher court.
The BoT chairman, who delivered the advise in an exclusive interview with Vanguard Sunday, said the party also “has respect for its constitution.” Remember that the Enugu-based Court of Appeal held on December 20, 2024, affirmed a High Court decision that declared Okoye the PDP’s substantive national secretary and dismissed Sen. Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary.
In a lead ruling, Justice Ridwan Abdullahi stated that Anyanwu’s claim to the PDP’s secretaryship after running for and winning the party’s governorship was a breach of the party’s constitution and that his appeal was without substance. The South-East PDP’s stance on the issue was given legitimacy by the ruling, which Senator Wabara praised the judiciary for.
All parties should follow the ruling, the former Senate president said, adding that he had always argued that the party’s constitution should never be disregarded. He clarified the nature of the ruling “is such that it does not entertain stay of execution” but could only be challenged in a superior court.
Wabara said, “The judgment affirming Ude Okoye as PDP national secretary is a welcome judgment. It further lends credence to the decision of South-East PDP on the issue. We had always contended that the party’s constitution must be obeyed, and the Appeal Court judgment has just affirmed that.
Advises NWC to abide “Since PDP is a party that obeys the law, and believes in constitutionality, we should obey this court order. As the BoT chairman of the party, I want to request of the NWC of our party to obey that judgment. “ If at sometime in the future there is a counter court judgment, we won’t have any option but obey it. Such counter-judgment must come from a superior court, and the Supreme Court in this circumstance. “So, we should allow the change to take place, and when there is a counter-judgment from the Supreme Court, then the party will also obey it.