Twists, Turns Of PDP National Scribe Tussle

The tussle for the nationwide secretary place of Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP) was one of many many frictions that has held the opposition celebration down for months.

A former PDP nationwide secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and his successor, Hon Sunday Ude-Okoye, had sustained an intriguing battle for who received to supervise the celebration’s day after day administration and operations.

The tussle got here to a head with the notorious bodily show on the celebration’s nationwide secretariat throughout a gathering of the celebration’s Board of Trustees (BoT) which Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye, had been invited to.

The nationwide secretary is an automated member of the celebration’s BoT, which can be referred to as the celebration’s apex advisory physique and custodian.

An try by the Anyanwu camp to bodily cease Ude-Okoye from attending the assembly was rebuffed in form. Upon the BoT’s insistence, Ude-Okoye was allowed to affix the assembly and was seated on the excessive desk a couple of seats away from Anyanwu.

For pundits, that occasion set the tone for a spiralling flip of occasions which culminated in Ude-Okoye’s eventual recognition by the Nationwide Working Committee (NWC) as nationwide secretary.

The nationwide secretary saga overshadowed the battle by the North Central Zone to reclaim its nationwide chairmanship place and the management of Rivers State PDP. These two nonetheless raging battle fronts are a fallout of the big battle, the search of the celebration’s soul forward of 2027.

However by the point the nationwide secretary seat tussle simmered down, some hurt had been carried out – lawmakers elected on the PDP’s platform had defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing the management disaster.

The Making Of A Nationwide Secretary Disaster…

It began with the Imo State governorship election in 2023. Anyanwu, then nationwide secretary, joined the governorship race whereas holding on to the workplace. This situation was frowned upon by some celebration leaders from the zone.

This example was stated to have contributed to former governor and deputy speaker, Hon Emeka Ihedioha’s withdrawal from the race and eventual resignation from the PDP.

It was gathered that an settlement was reached that Anyanwu would vacate the secretary’s place, a declare that was debunked by his camp.

Enter The Authorized Battle

The authorized battle upon which the celebration management recognised Ude-Okoye started.

In 2023, the South East Zone of the celebration nominated Ude-Okoye to interchange Anyanwu, who had emerged because the PDP’s Imo governorship candidate.

This nomination heightened the decision for Anyanwu to step down attributable to his new political commitments.

This was adopted by a authorized motion on the Excessive Courtroom in Enugu State, instituted by Aniagu Emmanuel as plaintiff on October 20, 2023.

The defendants within the case had been the PDP, Damagum as appearing nationwide chairman, Anyanwu as nationwide secretary, and Excessive Chief Ali Odefa, as nationwide vice chairman of the South East Zone.

The court docket in its judgement on December 28, 2023, stated amongst different issues, that “the third defendant was elected in April 2023 because the gubernatorial candidate of the first defendant for the Imo State governorship election billed for November 2023 while the third defendant nonetheless doubles because the nationwide secretary of the first defendant.

“That by occupying the 2 positions, the third defendant made himself a choose in his personal trigger.

“That the spirit and letters of the first defendant’s structure and electoral pointers for major elections given by the Nationwide Govt Committee of the first defendant in March, 2022, doesn’t ponder a scenario the place the identical particular person will emerge as a gubernatorial candidate of the primary defendant in any state and nonetheless occupy the place of the nationwide secretary of the first defendant.

“That the third defendant declaring his curiosity, shopping for the types of the first defendant for the gubernatorial candidacy of the first defendant for Imo governorship election, inflicting himself to be nominated as an aspirant to the gubernatorial primaries of the first defendant for the 2023 gubernatorial election held in Imo State in April 2023, standing the primaries of the first defendant within the stated election, had elected of his personal volition to vacate the workplace of the nationwide secretary of the first defendant.

“That the third defendant is hereby restrained forthwith from additional parading himself because the nationwide secretary of the first defendant having relinquished the stated place by conduct.”

The court docket additional ordered the swearing in of Ude-Okoye, who was beneficial by the South East zonal committee, as nationwide secretary of the PDP.

Displeased, Anyanwu challenged the judgement on the Courtroom of Enchantment in Enugu which commenced on February 2, 2024.

Nonetheless, on December 20, 2024, the Enchantment Courtroom dominated in favour of Ude-Okoye, confirming him as the brand new nationwide secretary.

This choice was communicated to the celebration management on December 24.

Anyanwu has gone to the Supreme Courtroom though his demand for keep of execution of the Enchantment Courtroom verdict has but to materialise.

The Governors, BoT’s Stance And The Meltdown

On the again of those judgements, the PDP governors and the BoT (after its committee report on the difficulty led by a former minister of particular duties, Kabiru Turaki, SAN) prevailed on the celebration’s Nationwide Working Committee (NWC) to recognise Ude-Okoye as nationwide secretary.

Apparently, Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu, had submitted themselves to the authority of the BoT committee.

However Anyanwu objected to the suggestions of the governors and BoT. He petitioned the Inspector-Common of Police, the Supreme Courtroom, and the Enchantment Courtroom on February 1. He maintained that he was nonetheless the rightful PDP nationwide secretary, describing Ude-Okoye’s endorsements as an motion that might worsen the disaster.

All eyes then shifted to the NWC, which had had its share of inner wrangling, leading to members forming camps on delicate points.

Underneath stress, Damagum, an Anyanwu ally, sought the recommendation of the nationwide authorized adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), who agreed with the place of the governors and the BoT.

The celebration’s nationwide publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, subsequently introduced the popularity of Ude-Okoye by the NWC.

A supply nonetheless advised LEADERSHIP Sunday that Anyanwu misplaced the battle as quickly as he misplaced the arrogance of the South East leaders, particularly the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah.

The supply stated, “It has nothing to do together with his closeness to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike. It was purely a case of dropping the arrogance of your base which is the South East. Think about a gathering of all of the eminent PDP leaders, together with the PDP governor, BoT leaders out of your zone, all chorusing their assist for another person. At that stage it was recreation over.

“He referred to as his personal assembly at Abuja, not within the South East, in Abuja and who got here? Individuals of no political mettle. So, I feel he misplaced the plot a very long time in the past,” the celebration chief stated.

One other celebration chief, who additionally pleaded to not be talked about, regretted that the difficulty dragged on so long as it did, noting that the idea for the dispute was one among respect for procedures and respect for different celebration leaders.

“How will you contest a place wherein you might be additionally the referee? You’re nationwide secretary after which aspirant and candidate on the identical time. That is outrightly flawed. After which it turned worse when all PDP governors and the BoT members backed your elimination based mostly on the legislation,” he stated.

Nonetheless, Anyanwu supporters insist that the plot to take away him from workplace gained’t stand.

The PDP Youth Frontiers Community has backed Anyanwu because the nationwide secretary of the celebration.

Addressing journalists just lately, Henry Owolabi, the group’s nationwide coordinator, stated PDP leaders recognising Ude-Okoye as nationwide secretary had been contributing to the disaster within the celebration.

The celebration, nonetheless, awaits the Supreme Courtroom judgement on the matter.