Sam Anyanwu: I won’t step down as PDP national secretary | NEC meeting illegal

Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he will not step down until his tenure elapses in December.

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Anyanwu said the crisis in the opposition party is fuelled by selfish interests.

“There is no vacancy in the office of the PDP national secretary,” he said.

“I was elected in October 2021 as the national secretary of this party. According to the zoning arrangement, it was zoned to the south and micro-zoned to south-east.

“Just like every other state in the south-east, the national secretary position was zoned to Imo state. Every state in the south-east has a representative in the national working committee.

“But assuming that I am no longer the national secretary, for instance, whoever will replace me must come from Imo state.

“I will not give in to anybody trying to mess up my career. It took me time to build my reputation.

“I have been a two-time local government chairman and two-term assembly member, went to the senate, ran for governorship twice, and I am now the national secretary.

“Each time they talk about people demarketing the party, all these PDP leaders who go on national television are the ones destroying the party.

“Instead of saying things that build the party, they are saying things that will destroy and demarket it, and then accuse the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, just because he’s my friend.”

Anyanwu also criticised the PDP national executive committee (NEC) meeting held on Tuesday, claiming it was illegal.

“If it is a NEC meeting, any decision taken there is an illegality because PDP is a party, an organisation, ruled by law, and we should respect our constitution,” he said.

On the coalition talks, Anyanwu said the PDP will not merge with any political party.

“So, we cannot (go into any coalition or merger). Rather, other parties will subsume themselves into PDP,” he added.

BACKGROUND

Anyanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye have been laying claim to the position of PDP national secretary.

In December 2024, the court of appeal ruled that Udeh-Okoye should replace Anyanwu as the PDP national secretary.

The south-east zonal executive committee of the party nominated Udeh-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he became the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Imo state in 2023.

Anyanwu had obtained several court injunctions to prevent his removal from office.

However, in a verdict delivered on December 20, 2024, Ridwan Abdullahi, the appeal court judge, dismissed the judgment of the high court, which prevented Anyanwu’s removal, for “lacking in merit”.

Following the judgment, Udeh-Okoye said he is the national secretary of the party.

However, Anyanwu claimed he appealed the judgment and also filed for a stay of execution at the supreme court the same day the appeal court delivered the verdict in favour of Udeh-Okoye.

On January 31, governors elected on the PDP platform recognised Udeh-Okoye as the party’s scribe.

About a week later, the party’s board of trustees (BoT) aligned with the governors.

In March, the supreme court, in its verdict delivered by a five-member panel, held that the debate over the position is an internal affair not subject to adjudication.

Delivering the lead judgment, Jamilu Tukur consequently struck out the judgment of the trial court delivered in October 2024 and also set aside the majority judgment of the court of appeal.

The court affirmed the minority judgment of the appellate court, which had nullified the judgment of the trial court over a “lack of jurisdiction”.

In April, the PDP governors recommended that Setonji Koshoedo, the deputy national secretary, should serve in an acting capacity until a substantive secretary is nominated from the south-east zone and ratified by the NEC.

On May 14, the south-east PDP members threatened to leave the party if Udeh-Okoye is not recognised as the national secretary.

On Tuesday, the PDP NEC received the resolution of the south-east zonal executive on the national secretary position but resolved to consider it at its next meeting scheduled for June 30.