The embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Anyanwu, has maintained his claim to the office despite a Court of Appeal ruling affirming Sunday Ude-Okoye as the rightful holder of the position.
Anyanwu stated his position during an appearance on Nigeria Right Now, a current affairs programme hosted by Dickson Iroegbu.
Dual Claims To National Secretary Role
The PDP finds itself mired in a leadership tussle as Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye continue to lay claim to the role of National Secretary.
On Tuesday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, announced the party’s compliance with the Court of Appeal ruling that affirmed Ude-Okoye as the authentic National Secretary. 
Naija News reports that Ologunagba while speaking at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, stated, “The PDP is a law-abiding party, and we are committed to fully implementing the dictates of the court.”
Anyanwu’s Rebuttal
Anyanwu, however, dismissed the party’s stance, asserting that he had taken steps to challenge the appellate court’s decision.
He said, “As we speak today, I’m still the national secretary of PDP.
“The reason is that on the 20th of December, there was a court judgment from the appeal court of Enugu affirming the judgment of the state high court of Enugu.
“Before then, I had a federal high court judgment which affirmed my position. If you remember, sometime in 2023 before the election, precisely on the 10th of November 2023, there was a state high court judgment which said I should have resigned before vying for the office of the governor.
“Then I went to the federal high court here in Abuja, which confirmed my position that as long as I was elected by convention, my position is sacrosanct until the 9th of December 2025, when my position will officially end.
“Incidentally, the people that (filed) the case continued the matter at the appeal court. On the 20th of December, the court (delivered) a judgment in which N1 million cost was awarded against them.
“However, on the same 20th, we appealed the matter and then filed for a stay of execution, which is normal because the appeal court is not the highest court. So, what does that mean? It means that the status quo should remain.”
Anyanwu noted that there is no faction in the opposition party despite the leadership crisis rocking the party, adding that Umar Damagum remains the acting national Chairman of the party.
He said, “There is no faction in PDP. The PDP is led by the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum.”
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