PDP NWC affirms Udeh-Okoye as national secretary, to notify INEC

The national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has affirmed Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary.

BACKGROUND

The PDP has recently been embroiled in a leadership crisis with Samuel Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye laying claim to the position of national secretary.

In December 2024, the court of appeal ruled that Udeh-Okoye should replace Anyanwu as PDP national secretary.

The south-east zonal executive committee of the party nominated Udeh-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he became the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Imo state in 2023.

Anyanwu had obtained several court injunctions preventing his removal from office.

However, in a verdict delivered on December 20, 2024, Ridwan Abdullahi, the appeal court judge, dismissed the judgment of the high court which prevented Anyanwu’s removal, for “lacking in merit”.

Following the judgment, Udeh-Okoye has been parading himself as the national secretary of the opposition party.

But Anyanwu said he appealed the judgment and also filed for a stay of execution at the supreme court on the same day the appeal court delivered the verdict in favour of Udeh-Okoye.

On January 31, governors elected on the PDP platform recognised Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the party.

About a week later, the party’s board of trustees (BoT) aligned with the governors.

‘WE’VE AFFIRMED UDEH-OKOYE’

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, said the NWC affirmed Udeh-Okoye after “extensively” considering a memo dated February 11, presented by Umar Damagum, the acting national chairman, on the national secretary position.

Ologunagba said the memo was attached with documents, including the declaratory judgment of the high court of Enugu, the judgment of the court of appeal, Enugu division, which pronounced and declared Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the PDP, and legal opinion and advice by Kabiru Turaki, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

“After due consideration of the memo and the attachments, the NWC overwhelmingly recognizes, acknowledges, and confirms Rt. Hon. S.K.E. Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full compliance with and obedience to the judgment of the Court of Appeal, recognising that there is no subsisting or superseding judgment or order from any court of superior authority or hierarchy,” the statement reads.

Ologunagba said NWC has commenced the transmission of its resolution and decision affirming Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant bodies for recognition.