PDP Leadership Tussle: Court Orders Anyanwu To Submit Supreme Court Judgment In One Week

Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the order following arguments by Anyanwu’s lead counsel, Chief Ken Njamanze, SAN, who cited the apex court’s ruling as a resolution to the legal dispute over the PDP’s national secretary position.

This directive came during a hearing on Anyanwu’s case, in which he sought to halt the enforcement of previous court rulings that removed him from office and recognized Rt. Hon. Udeh-Okoye Ememchukwu as the rightful National Secretary of the party.

It is noteworthy that the Court of Appeal in Enugu had, in a December ruling, upheld a High Court judgment that dismissed Anyanwu and confirmed Udeh-Okoye’s appointment. The court ruled that Anyanwu’s continued tenure as National Secretary was unconstitutional, given that he had contested and won the PDP governorship ticket for Imo State in 2023.

Following these rulings, both the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Working Committee (NWC) endorsed Udeh-Okoye as the party’s legitimate national secretary.

Dissatisfied with the verdicts, Anyanwu appealed to the Supreme Court and filed a motion to halt the enforcement of the judgments against him.

Last Friday, a five-member panel of Supreme Court justices overturned the decisions of the lower courts, citing a lack of jurisdiction. The apex court ruled that the dispute fell under the internal affairs of a political party, an area beyond judicial intervention.

The ruling has sparked mixed reactions, with both Anyanwu’s and Udeh-Okoye’s camps claiming victory.

In response to Anyanwu’s claims, Udeh-Okoye, listed as the 4th defendant, submitted an affidavit stating that while Anyanwu was elected during the PDP National Convention on October 30, 2021, for a four-year term, he forfeited the position upon becoming the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 Imo State election.