PDP youth group backs Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary

The PDP Youth Frontiers Network has backed Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Henry Owolabi, national coordinator of the group, said PDP leaders recognising Sunday Ude-Okoye as national secretary are contributing to the crisis in the party.

BACKGROUND

The PDP is embroiled in a fresh leadership crisis with Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye laying claim to the position of national secretary.

In December 2024, the court of appeal ruled that Ude-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, Ude-Okoye has been parading himself as the national secretary of the party.

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

On January 31, governors elected on the PDP platform recognised Ude-Okoye as the scribe of the party.

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

‘ANYANWU REMAINS NATIONAL SECRETARY’

Owolabi claimed that the law recognises Anyanwu as the national secretary of the party.

“We consider it an imperative and dire need of the hour that, as a party, we must begin by building consensus and form once more a united, formidable and strong party, striving to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria and not continue in the path of self-interest, self-distraught, myopic divisiveness and pristine bickering which has not helped us but has become viable and fertile ground for the opposition to hatch inroads and poach into us destroying our very fabrics,” he said.

“We, therefore, join our voices and affirm unequivocal, unflinching and unwavering support and loyalty of our organisation and that of all party supporters to the ideals of the party and by extension to the office of the national secretary.

“That senator Anyanwu remains the national secretary and the attempt to remove him and replace him with a judiciary-imposed secretary, without any congress or legitimate procedural ratification of any organ of the party is hereby totally rejected.”

Owolabi cautioned PDP members against making comments that would escalate the crisis in the party.