The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially reaffirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary, aiming to temporarily resolve a prolonged internal leadership crisis.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, the PDP’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, announced that Anyanwu remains the duly recognised national secretary and is expected to resume his duties immediately.
“The NWC has affirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party. He will resume his duties accordingly,” Damagum said.
The decision follows months of internal strife and legal battles over the national secretary position, which had caused significant division within the party, particularly in the South-East. The power struggle has been between Anyanwu, a close ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and Sunday Ude-Okoye, a former PDP youth leader who also claims the position.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Ude-Okoye, directing that he should assume the office of national secretary. This followed Anyanwu’s nomination as the PDP’s governorship candidate for Imo State in the 2023 elections — a development the South-East Zonal Executive Committee used to justify Ude-Okoye’s nomination as his replacement.
Anyanwu, however, resisted the decision, obtaining a series of injunctions that temporarily blocked his removal. Those orders were later dismissed on December 20, 2024, by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi of the Court of Appeal, who ruled that the lower court’s injunctions lacked merit.
After the ruling, Ude-Okoye reiterated his claim to the position, deepening tensions within the party and raising concerns about factional divisions.
Despite the legal setbacks, Anyanwu maintained his stance. “There is no faction in the PDP,” he declared in January. “I remain the authentic national secretary of the party.”
With the NWC’s latest declaration, the PDP has made its clearest move yet to settle the leadership controversy. However, it remains to be seen how Ude-Okoye and his supporters will respond to the party’s official position, and whether further legal or political challenges lie ahead.
