PDP Crisis Deepens as Anyanwu Challenges Ude-Okoye’s Appointment as National Secretary

The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continues to intensify, with fresh disputes surrounding the position of the party’s national secretary. The crisis, which has been brewing since Atiku Abubakar secured the presidential ticket at the expense of Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, has only worsened since the 2023 election. Atiku’s decision to choose former Delta State governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate instead of Wike has deepened the divide within the party, leading to the formation of the G-5 Governors group by Wike and his allies.

After the election loss to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the crisis shifted to the leadership of the PDP. The national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, was suspended, and his ousting was pushed by stakeholders from Benue State, loyal to Wike and spearheaded by former Governor Samuel Ortom.

A new front in the crisis opened in 2023 when the South-East zonal executive committee of the PDP convened in Enugu and nominated Sunday Udeh-Okoye to replace Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary. Anyanwu, who had also been nominated as the governorship candidate for the party in Imo State, faced conflict between his candidacy and his national secretary position, leading to his departure to contest the Imo election. The decision to replace Anyanwu sparked a political and legal battle within the party.

After Anyanwu lost the governorship election to Governor Hope Uzodinma, he sought to reclaim his former position as national secretary, igniting both political and legal crises. A judicial clash between factions supporting Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu escalated when, on December 20, 2024, the Court of Appeal in Enugu affirmed Ude-Okoye as the rightful national secretary. However, Anyanwu swiftly obtained a restraining order from the Court of Appeal in Abuja on January 16, ordering that he remain in office until further court proceedings were held.

Debo Ologunagba, the PDP’s national publicity secretary, argued that the December 20 Court of Appeal judgment was declaratory and could not be stayed, implying that Ude-Okoye should be recognized as national secretary until the Supreme Court rules otherwise.

Despite this, the PDP’s governors voiced support for Ude-Okoye, backing the Enugu court ruling in a communique issued after a meeting in Asaba, Delta State. However, when the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party attempted to intervene, violence erupted at the PDP headquarters in Abuja, with thugs loyal to Anyanwu forcibly ejecting Ude-Okoye from a BoT meeting. This led to a tense standoff, requiring the intervention of security agencies.

At a subsequent meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, the BoT endorsed Ude-Okoye as the legitimate national secretary, asserting that the interpretation of the court judgments favored him. The National Working Committee (NWC) also endorsed this position, despite Anyanwu’s continued claims and denials of the endorsement.

The legal battles, meanwhile, are set to continue, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear Anyanwu’s appeal on March 10. The Court of Appeal had previously upheld Ude-Okoye’s appointment, finding Anyanwu’s appeal to be without merit. Anyanwu’s attempt to obtain a stay on execution of the appellate court’s decision was also rejected by the Supreme Court, which has granted him a limited time to respond to the legal proceedings.

Kola Ologbondiyan, a PDP chieftain and former national publicity secretary, urged Anyanwu to respect the court’s rulings and allow the legal process to unfold. “The right thing is to wait for the Supreme Court’s outcome,” he said, warning that Anyanwu’s continued defiance would further destabilize the party.

With the PDP’s leadership deeply divided and tensions running high, all eyes are now on the Supreme Court to provide a resolution in the ongoing legal battle over the party’s national secretary position.