Can governors, BoT endorsement end PDP crisis?

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been embroiled in crisis since the conduct of the presidential primaries for the 2023 general elections that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Atiku had picked the presidential ticket at the expense of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who was then the […]

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been embroiled in crisis since the conduct of the presidential primaries for the 2023 general elections that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku had picked the presidential ticket at the expense of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who was then the governor of the oil-rich Rivers State.

Since the conclusion of the primaries and the refusal by Atiku to pick Wike as running mate, prefering to run the election with a former Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the party has not known peace.

Efforts by stakeholders to resolve the impasse did not yield any positive results as Wike formed the group of G-5 Governors with his allies and the opposition party lost the election to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC.

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Following the loss at the presidential poll, the national chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, was suspended, dragged to court and ousted by stakeholders from Benue State who are allegedly loyal to the FCT minister, under the supervision of a former governor of the state, Samuel Ortom.

 

The new frontline of crisis

In 2023, the South-East zonal executive committee of the party rose from a meeting in Enugu and nominated Sunday Udeh-Okoye to take over from Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary.

The decision followed the emergence of Senator Anyanwu as the governorship candidate for the party in the Imo election.

The zone in a communique noted that being the national secretary and candidate for the PDP in Imo would be a distraction during the election.

But immediately Anyanwu lost the election to Governor Hope Uzodinma, he made efforts to reclaim the position of secretary which sparked political and judicial crises in the party.

While both parties headed to court, those for and against also tried to outdo one another in support of their preferred candidate for the position of the national secretary of the party.

Senator Adolphus Wabara, the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), had asked Samuel Anyanwu to resign on the ground of being the governorship candidate in the November 11 election in Imo State.

But Nyesom Wike countered Wabara, saying he did not have the authority to declare who would occupy the office of the national secretary of the party.

 

The legal dimension

After a series of legal ups and down, by both parties, on December 20, 2024, the Appeal Court in Enugu affirmed Ude-Okoye as the right person to occupy the position of the national secretary following Anyanwu’s departure to contest the Imo governorship election.

But in a swift move, the embattled national secretary, Anyanwu, stormed the Court of Appeal in Abuja and obtained a restraining order on January 16, instructing him to remain as national secretary until the court ruled on the motion for stay on January 27.

Anyanwu has also appealed the judgement of the Appeal Court in Enugu to the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, a lawyer, has waded into the crisis, saying the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, given on December 20, was a declaratory one that could not be stayed; and as such, the stay of execution is not binding.

According to him, until the Supreme Court decides otherwise, Ude-Okoye would be recognised as the national secretary of the party.

 

Governors, BoT endorsement

Rising from their last meeting in Asaba, Delta State, governors elected on the platform of the party declared support for Ude-Okoye as the national secretary of the party.

The governors said their decision followed the Court of Appeal judgement in Enugu, and asked the National Working Committee (NWC) to set up machinery for the effective implementation of the judgement.

A communique signed by the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, noted the ongoing efforts at resolving the crisis and reaffirmed its support for the Court of Appeal judgement in favour of Ude-Okoye.

“Consequently, the Forum advised the NWC to set up machinery for the effective implementation of the court judgement,” the communiqué noted.

However, efforts by the BoT to wade into the crisis turned violent at the party’s headquarters in Abuja as thugs loyal to Anyanwu forcefully ejected Ude-Okoye from the BoT meeting.

Weekend Trust reliably gathered that both Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye were invited for the meeting, but threatened by his presence, Anyanwu’s thugs dragged him outside, a development the BoT members were not happy with.

It took the intervention of security agencies deployed to the secretariat and further deployment to stem the tide of violence.

In their last emergency meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja due to security concerns, the BoT, following the recommendation of its committee under the leadership of Dr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), declared that Ude-Okoye was the rightful candidate for the position of secretary based on the interpretation of legal judgements.

The National Working Committee, in their virtual meeting, also endorsed Ude-Okoye, a development that was denied by Anyanwu, who stated that the stand of the NWC as posited by Debo Ologunagba was only the position of the spokesman of the party.

 

Supreme Court set March 10 for hearing

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has adjourned the legal tussle until March 10 for further hearing on the appeal filed by Anyanwu.

This is also as the apex court refused to hear the motion for stay of execution of the appellate court judgement.

A five-member panel of justices presided by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa fixed the date while delivering a ruling in the motion for accelerated hearing brought by Anyanwu.

The appellate court subsequently upheld Chief Ude-Okoye as the substantive national secretary of the main opposition party.

In the lead judgement delivered by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, the Court of Appeal held that Anyanwu‘s appeal was incompetent and lacking in merit.

According to the appellate court, the appellant violated PDP’s constitution by laying claim to the national secretary position, having contested and emerged as the party’s candidate in the 2024 governorship election in Imo State.

In its ruling in the motion on Tuesday, the apex court granted the application and ordered service of the court processes on the respondent, Aniagu Emmanuel, who must file his reply brief within three days of service.

Anyanwu, on the other hand, was given two days to reply on the point of law.

 

Anyanwu should face his case at the Supreme Court– Ologbondiyan

Speaking on the development, a chieftain of the party and a former national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Weekend Trust that the right thing for Senator Anyanwu to do was to face the case he instituted at the Supreme Court.

“This action of staying put in office and claiming to be in charge is not healthy for Anyanwu and the PDP. You had gone to court and the court has made pronouncement. The right thing is to wait for the outcome of the Supreme Court because you are the one that approached the court.

“All these issues leading to crises here and there will not go well with all concerned. All the organs of the party have spoken in one accord, so my advice is to wait for the Supreme Court,” he said.