The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally affirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary of the party, bringing a temporary resolution to a prolonged leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Umar Damagum, the acting national chairman of the PDP, declared that Anyanwu remains the duly recognised national secretary and is to immediately resume office.
“The NWC has affirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party. He will resume his duties accordingly,” Damagum said.
The announcement comes after months of internal wrangling and conflicting court rulings over the position, which had deepened divisions within the PDP, especially in the South-East. The dispute centres on Anyanwu — a known political ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike — and Sunday Ude-Okoye, a former youth leader of the party who has also laid claim to the role.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Ude-Okoye, stating that he should replace Anyanwu as national secretary, following Anyanwu’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 Imo State election. The ruling aligned with the decision of the PDP South-East Zonal Executive Committee, which had nominated Ude-Okoye to take over the role.
However, Anyanwu resisted the move, securing a number of court injunctions that temporarily halted his removal. Despite this, on December 20, 2024, Justice Ridwan Abdullahi of the Court of Appeal dismissed those injunctions, declaring the lower court’s protection of Anyanwu “lacking in merit.”
Following the verdict, Ude-Okoye again declared himself the legitimate national secretary of the party. The PDP was thrown into deeper uncertainty, with competing claims to the position, fuelling speculation of factionalisation.
But in January, Anyanwu rejected such narratives. “There is no faction in the PDP,” he said, insisting on his legitimacy. “I remain the authentic national secretary of the party.”
With the NWC’s latest pronouncement, the PDP leadership has taken a definitive stance in favour of Anyanwu, though it remains unclear how Ude-Okoye and his supporters will respond to the decision.
Boluwatife Enome
Follow us on:
