Supreme Court Strikes Out Anyanwu’s Attempt to Delay Enforcement of Judgment Removing Him as PDP National Secretary

The Supreme Court has dismissed a motion filed by Samuel Anyanwu seeking to halt the enforcement of a Court of Appeal ruling that removed him as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The apex court, on Monday, struck out the application after Anyanwu, through his counsel Kingsley Njemanze (SAN), abruptly withdrew it during proceedings.

This development marks another setback for Anyanwu, who has been battling to retain his position after both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Enugu delivered concurrent judgments removing him from office. In a December ruling, the appellate court upheld the decision of the lower court and declared Chief Sunday Ude-Okoye as the valid National Secretary of the PDP.

Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, in the lead judgment, described Anyanwu’s appeal as incompetent and lacking merit, citing a violation of the PDP constitution. The court noted that Anyanwu could not continue as National Secretary after contesting and emerging as the party’s governorship candidate in the 2024 Imo State election.

Unhappy with the outcome, Anyanwu turned to the Supreme Court in February, seeking to overturn the lower court judgments and reaffirm his claim to the office. He also filed motions for an accelerated hearing and a shortening of the timeline for proceedings, arguing the strategic importance of the national secretary role.

However, in a surprise move on Monday, Anyanwu opted to withdraw his request to stay the enforcement of the judgments. The Supreme Court, led by Justice Musa Awani Aba-Aji, subsequently struck out the motion. Meanwhile, the main appeal before the five-member panel of justices continues.