Federal High Court Restrains PDP from Ousting Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary

The Federal High Court in Abuja has intervened in the internal affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), issuing an order to prevent the removal of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary of the party. The decision came as a response to an ex-parte request filed by Joshua Musa, SAN, and was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo on Thursday.

The court’s ruling dictates that Senator Anyanwu should remain in his position until the main issue is thoroughly examined and decided upon. The case has been adjourned until December 4, when a comprehensive hearing on the matter will take place.

The legal action was initiated by two PDP members, Geoffrey Ihentuge and Apollo’s Godspower, who brought a lawsuit against the PDP itself, Umar Aliyu Damagun (acting National Chairman), and the National Executive Committee (NEC) as the first to third defendants. The National Working Committee (NWC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the fourth and fifth defendants, respectively.

The plaintiffs, invoking Order 26, Rules 2 and 6 of the FHC (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, as well as the court’s inherent authority, sought an interim injunction to block the first, second, third, and fourth defendants from executing their plans to remove Senator Anyanwu. They argued that such a move would contravene Article 47 (1) of the PDP Constitution, as revised in 2017, and emphasized the need for the court to intervene pending a full hearing and determination of the case.