On Tuesday, a Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the legitimate national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling, issued an injunction preventing the PDP’s national leadership from appointing an acting national secretary while Anyanwu’s four-year tenure remains valid until December 9, 2025, as stipulated in the party’s constitution.
Justice Ekwo further asserted that any attempts made by the party to prematurely remove or hinder Anyanwu from executing his office powers would violate Article 47 (1) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), rendering such actions null and void.
The judge also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, “from recognizing any purported appointment of any person as national secretary of the party whether in acting capacity or otherwise other than Anyanwu, the elected national secretary of the 1st defendant (PDP).”
On November 23, 2023, the court issued an order preventing the PDP from dismissing Anyanwu as national secretary until the substantive matter was heard and resolved. This directive came after Dr. Joshua Musa, SAN, acting on behalf of two party members—Geoffrey Ihentuge, the Ikeduru Local Government chairman of the PDP in Imo, and Godspower Apollo, the PDP chairman in Owerri Municipal Local Government of the state—filed an ex-parte motion.
The plaintiffs took legal action against the PDP, Umar Damagun (the party’s acting national chairman), the National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Working Committee (NWC), and INEC, listed as 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.
In their suit, they sought five reliefs, including an interim injunction to prevent the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants from executing the plan to remove the national secretary (Anyanwu). They contended that such actions violated Article 47 (1) of the PDP Constitution (amended in 2017), insisting that Anyanwu, duly elected on December 10, 2021, had the right to hold office until December 9, 2025.
