“APC Agents at Work” — PDP Dismisses Alleged Forgery in Case Affirming Udeh-Okoye as National Secretary

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed allegations of forgery linked to the legal battle affirming Sunday Udeh-Okoye as its national secretary, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.

The controversy stems from the ongoing leadership dispute within the party, where both Udeh-Okoye and Samuel Anyanwu have claimed the position. Udeh-Okoye was nominated by the PDP’s South-East zonal executive committee after Anyanwu became the party’s gubernatorial candidate for Imo State in 2023. However, Anyanwu challenged his removal in court, securing injunctions to maintain his position. In December 2024, the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, dismissed a previous high court ruling that had upheld Anyanwu’s claim, stating it lacked merit.

The crisis took a new turn when a magistrate court in Abuja ordered a police investigation into allegations that forged documents were used during the appeal court proceedings. This directive came after a petition was filed by Mike Iheanaetu, a PDP member, raising concerns over the legitimacy of certain documents presented in court.

Responding to the development, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba denounced the forgery allegations, calling them sensational and misleading. He attributed the claims to “resentful individuals” acting as “agents of APC” in a bid to tarnish the party’s reputation. Ologunagba asserted that the move was an attempt to undermine the integrity of PDP’s internal processes and damage its public standing.

“Our party is shocked by the level of desperation displayed by these individuals, reportedly backed by a particular top official in the APC administration who has repeatedly vowed to destroy the PDP. Their objective is to entrench a totalitarian and oppressive one-party system in our nation, much to the resentment and detriment of Nigerians,” the statement read.

He further criticized the effort to involve the police and a magistrate court in what he described as purely internal party affairs, emphasizing that multiple courts, including the Supreme Court, have ruled that candidate nominations fall strictly within the domain of political parties and are beyond judicial intervention.

The PDP reaffirmed its confidence in the judicial system and insisted that it would not be deterred by what it views as an orchestrated attempt to destabilize the party.