Samuel Anyanwu has been proclaimed the genuine National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor.
The Court of Appeal in Enugu, which had affirmed the High Court’s ruling dismissing Anyanwu and appointing Sunday Udey-Okoye as his successor, was overturned by the Supreme Court on December 20, 2024.
Dissatisfied with the appellate court’s decision, Anyanwu appealed the case to the Supreme Court, claiming that neither the Enugu High Court nor the Court of Appeal had the authority to rule on a matter pertaining to the PDP’s internal affairs. He argued that disputes about party leadership and membership are not subject to the law and should not be decided by a court.
Anyanwu further criticized the lower court for not taking into account whether the plaintiff had used up all of PDP’s internal complaint procedures prior to bringing the lawsuit. He also questioned the decision to give the plaintiff the right to argue his position, arguing that such issues are essential to a court’s jurisdiction.
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Asserting that he neither resigned nor was dismissed from office as National Secretary, Anyanwu also contested the lower courts’ interpretation of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022.
He said that the courts had no legal justification for concluding that he had resigned from office because the PDP constitution explicitly specifies the steps for stepping down from executive posts. He reaffirmed his argument that his dismissal was illegal by pointing out that the PDP constitution’s Article 47 stipulates for a single four-year term for party officers.
The Governors’ Forum, Board of Trustees, and National Working Committee of the PDP all supported Udey-Okoye, as you may remember.
