‘Unanimously recommended’ — south-east PDP endorses Udeh-Okoye for national secretary

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the south-east says it will review its relationship with the party if it is sidelined from producing the national secretary.

In a communique issued on Wednesday at the end of a meeting held in Enugu, the PDP south-east zonal executive committee said it “unanimously” recommended Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary.

Ali Odefa, the PDP zonal chairman in the south-east, signed the communique.

“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves,” the communiqué reads.

“Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.

“This would bring to a close the needless lingering dispute over the matter. However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward.”

The PDP south-east also asked the national working committee (NWC) to uphold its April 29 decision, adding that the deputy should serve as acting secretary until there is a substantive one.

“The South East ZEC further noted that the zone has had to go through this process for the umpteenth time, unlike what obtains in the filling of vacant national offices by other zones,” Odefa said.

“It is recalled that the South East ZEC met in October 2023 and nominated Rt Hon. Udeh-Okoye to serve out the remaining term of the National Secretary.”

“This position was reaffirmed during the February 20, 2024, meeting of the PDP South ZEC. We also reiterated this during the meeting of the ZEC in Enugu on Friday, January 25, 2025.”

The zonal chairman said the south-east had remained a consistent PDP stronghold, adding that despite recent defections, the zone continues to strengthen the party by attracting key opposition figures.

BACKGROUND

The PDP is embroiled in a fresh leadership crisis as both Samuel Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye are laying claim to the position of the party 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 preventing 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 has been parading himself as the national secretary of the party.

But Anyanwu said 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 scribe of the party.

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”.