Supreme Court Reinstates Samuel Anyanwu as PDP National secretary

The Supreme Court has overturned the judgment that removed Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), putting an end to months of legal battles and political manoeuvring.

The apex court, in its verdict delivered on Friday, dismissed the rulings of both the Court of Appeal in Enugu and the Federal High Court, declaring the matter an internal party affair beyond judicial intervention.

The battle for the PDP national secretary position had been fiercely contested between Anyanwu, an ally of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Udeh-Okoye, who was nominated to replace him.

The dispute dates back to December 2024 when the Court of Appeal ruled that Udeh-Okoye should assume the position, following his nomination by the PDP South-East Zonal Executive Committee. The nomination came after Anyanwu emerged as the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Imo State in the 2023 election.

Despite multiple court injunctions secured by Anyanwu to prevent his removal, the appellate court, led by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, dismissed them as lacking merit, effectively paving the way for Udeh-Okoye. In response, Udeh-Okoye immediately took charge, receiving recognition from PDP governors and later, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

However, Anyanwu did not back down. He promptly appealed the decision at the Supreme Court and sought a stay of execution. On Friday, the apex court ruled in his favor, striking down the earlier judgments and upholding the minority ruling from the appellate court, which had questioned the trial court’s jurisdiction over the case.

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Justice Jamilu Tukur, delivering the lead judgment on behalf of the five-member panel, declared that the issue of PDP’s national secretary was an internal party matter and should not have been taken to court in the first place. The court also ruled that Aniagu Emmanuel, the plaintiff in the original suit, lacked the legal standing to bring the case forward.

With the Supreme Court’s decision, Anyanwu is officially reinstated as the PDP National Secretary, ending the leadership tussle—at least for now. The ruling reinforces the principle that internal party disputes should be resolved within the party structures rather than through prolonged legal battles.