High Court Orders PDP to Replace Anyanwu as National Secretary

A High Court in Enugu State has issued an order mandating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to replace Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary. The decision comes as Senator Anyanwu is gearing up to run as the PDP governorship candidate in the upcoming Imo State election.

The court’s decision was made during a ruling on a motion filed by Nwabueze Ugwu, who sought to declare Senator Anyanwu’s seat vacant. As per the court’s order, the defendants in the case, including the PDP National Chairman, the PDP National Secretary, and the National Vice Chairman for the South-East, are now required to recognize Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the recommended candidate by the South-East Zonal Executive Committee. This recognition is to remain in effect until the motion is fully resolved.

Justice C.O Ajah, presiding over the case, pointed out that the motion was filed under specific court rules and supported by a detailed affidavit. The court’s order includes the following key points:

An interim order is granted as requested.

The PDP National Secretary is ordered to recognize Hon. S.K.E. UDEH-OKOYE within 24 hours of being served with this order, as recommended by the South-East Zonal Executive Committee.

This order will expire after seven days from the date it was issued, in accordance with court rules.

The case is scheduled for further hearings on October 30, 2023, when the Motion on Notice will be addressed.

It’s important to note that the PDP’s South-East zone had unanimously nominated Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the new National Secretary during a meeting held last weekend. Chief Ali Odefa, the party’s National Vice Chairman for the South-East Zone, clarified that this decision was made to allow Senator Anyanwu to focus on his election campaign in Imo State. The court’s recent order underscores the importance of these developments within the PDP.