BY EFE MODESTUS, ADOLPHUS DURU, JAMES AKINOLA
Some loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have hit back at state governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party for affirming a former National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, as the National Secretary of the party.
They stressed that a factional party leader, Samuel Anyanwu, remained the only recognised executive for the position pending the national convention.
Members of the PDP National Executive Committee, including the Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, and a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi, warned the governors not to escalate the party’s crisis, stressing that opposing Wike’s camp might worsen the situation.
However, a senior member of the PDP National Working Committee, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, stated that the governors acted in the best interest of the party.
Party crisis
The PDP has been grappling with internal turmoil before and after the 2023 general elections, leading to persistent instability within the party.
The issues have continued to plague the party and cause rifts among chieftains.
The acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, in particular, has faced increasing criticism from party members who hold him responsible for the ongoing struggles within the PDP.
Damagum took over from Iyorchia Ayu, the former National Chairman, who was removed by the court due to his failure to implement crucial reforms within the party.
The leadership transition only added to the party’s existing troubles.
The crisis recently worsened due to disagreements on the position of the National Secretary.
National secretary struggle
In 2023, the party’s South-East zone nominated a former National Youth Leader Ude-Okoye to replace Anyanwu, who was selected as the party’s candidate for the Imo State governorship election.
The South-East faction argued that Anyanwu should step down from his role as the National Secretary given his new political responsibilities, which fuelled further controversy and division within the party.
On December 20, 2024, the Court of Appeal in Enugu ruled in favour of Ude-Okoye, confirming him as the new National Secretary, with the official communication sent to the party leadership on December 24.
However, on January 27, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja issued a restraining order, instructing Anyanwu to remain in the position until the Supreme Court made a final ruling.
The situation escalated on Wednesday when party supporters loyal to Anyanwu physically removed Ude-Okoye from a meeting of the Board of Trustees.
On January 31, PDP governors distanced themselves from Anyanwu and confirmed Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary during a meeting in Asaba, Delta State.
Reacting, Anyanwu insisted that with the stay of execution, he remained the National Secretary of the PDP.
Anyanwu fights back
In a letter dated February 1 and addressed to the Inspector General of Police, the President of the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and the Department of State Services, Anyanwu vowed to resist any attempt to remove him from his position.
In a letter titled, ‘Security Alert: The Advice of PDP Governors’ Forum to the National Working Committee of the PDP – An Invitation to Chaos and an Affront to the Rule of Law,” Wike’s ally, Anyanwu, called on security agencies to take appropriate actions to prevent the crisis allegedly being stirred by the governors and Ude-Okoye.
The letter read in part, “There is an urgent need for the police to take note of paragraph 3 of the communique issued by the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum after their meeting, which took place in Asaba, Delta State, on Friday, January 31, 2025.
“In the quoted paragraph 3 of the communique, the forum advised the NWC to set up a mechanism for the implementation of the Enugu Court of Appeal judgment, which favoured the nomination of SKD Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary of the party.
“The police should be aware that an appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court against the quoted judgment. Furthermore, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja granted an order on January 13, 2025, clearly directing both parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the substantive application. The order was duly served on all parties concerned, including the National Working Committee of PDP and INEC.
“It is a settled matter in law that when a judgment is appealed against to a superior court, all parties should maintain the status quo ante bellum until the matter is finally determined. The governors cannot claim ignorance of this legal position before issuing their statement, which runs in conflict with the court’s decision.”
Anyanwu accused Ude-Okoye of hiring ‘bandits’ to create disorder during the PDP Board of Trustees meeting.
The letter further expressed disappointment that the PDP governors had “allowed themselves to be deceived by the sponsors of Ude-Okoye,” whom it claimed were under criminal investigation for allegedly forging PDP guidelines to mislead the courts.
It warned that the NWC should avoid implementing the PDP Governors Forum’s recommendation, particularly the directive stated in paragraph 3 of their communique, as doing so would be “an invitation to chaos and an affront to the judiciary and the rule of law.”
Raising concerns about the legal implications of the situation, the letter urged security agencies to intervene and prevent actions that could escalate tensions
Anyanwu insisted, “It is my right as a lawful citizen to seek justice against a judgment that was fraudulently secured against me.”
He also insisted on the need for all parties to respect the judiciary and maintain the status quo pending the court’s decision.
Wike’s allies back Anyanwu
An aide to Wike, who spoke to Frontline Reporters on condition of anonymity, said the group was not worried about the governors’ decision.
The PDP chieftain said, “The central issue in the crisis is the matter of the secretary, and unfortunately, the PDP governors, in their decision to adopt Sunday Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary, are not being sincere.
“Anyanwu contested the Imo State governorship election as the National Secretary of the PDP; he didn’t resign because the constitution of the party doesn’t say he should resign. That is an aspect that these people are hiding from the public.
“The PDP constitution doesn’t mandate whoever is holding a party position to resign before contesting government offices. If you don’t resign from a position, it means it isn’t vacant. Can you fill a position that is not vacant? Anyanwu didn’t resign from his position. So, you can’t replace him. The first thing for those people to do is to remove him in accordance with the law of the party and thereafter replace him.
“The PDP governors claimed they accepted the court judgment on the National Secretary; if that is the case, they are not supposed to have adopted Ude-Okoye because there is a stay of execution on the judgment.”
He added, “The position of the law is that if a stay of execution has been filed, the judgment cannot come into effect until the stay of execution is decided. That is because if you had executed the judgment before the stay of execution was decided, then it would become a fait accompli if the verdict was decided in favour of the applicant.
“The judgment of the Appeal Court that these people are talking about cannot take effect because a stay of execution process has been filed.”
When contacted, the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader warned that the governors’ directive to implement the Appeal Court’s decision could worsen the situation for the party.
In an interview with Frontline Reporters, Osadolor accused the governors of attempting to undermine the party.
He stated, “Well, Senator Samuel Anyanwu still remains the substantive secretary of the PDP. He was not nominated or appointed by the governors’ forum.
“He is a product of the National Convention. The only way to remove an NWC member from the equation is either by death or resignation. Since neither of these has happened, he remains the National Secretary.”
Odeyemi, on his part, cautioned that opposing key figures could lead to disaster for the main opposition party.
The former Deputy National Publicity Secretary recommended that the governors should consider a political solution, which should involve inviting Wike.
He stated, “I think the whole situation boils down to the legal interpretation of the Appeal Court ruling and the status of execution. The layman’s understanding of appeal is that the status quo remains. If the governors now decide, in their wisdom, to recognise Okoye despite Anyanwu’s appeal, I believe that rather than solving the problem, we are creating more issues for the country.
“I would have expected both Anyanwu and Okoye to be invited by the governors. Of course, they have the power to do that. This is more about politics, persuasion, and appeal than about recognising one against the other because Anyanwu is like a masquerade dancing in public or in the marketplace. Even though the drummer may not be visible, there are definitely people supporting him.
“I think it is the governors’ wisdom to consider the situation carefully. They should think about the drummer, the dancer, and the person they want to take over, which is Okoye. They should bring all of them into a meeting and see if they can achieve peace, rather than recognising just one.”
Also, a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Chinyere Igwe, blamed the governors for the crisis rocking the party.
Igwe, who represented Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 2 in the House of Representatives, said PDP governors were acting as if they were above the law.
While insisting that the court had ordered a stay of execution on the issue between Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu, he said, “What is the position of the court? We cannot go against what the court says because we are not a lawless people.
“The court granted a stay of execution. So, the governors are not the court because the court has a position. We are all waiting for the position of the court. Ude-Okoye too depends on the court. So, if the court has said something, why would the governors want to go against it to say it is Ude-Okoye they want?
“So, the governors are the cause of the crisis in the PDP because they don’t respect the law. They feel they are above the law, but they are not.”
On the alleged plot to prevent Wike from making key decisions in the PDP, Igwe, another loyalist of the FCT minister, maintained that Wike remained a force to reckon with in the party.
“Forget about whether there is a grand plot against Wike or not, can they succeed? So, the position of the court is what is standing. The governors should respect the law.
“All of them are products of law because if the Supreme Court did not affirm their elections, they wouldn’t be there. So,why are they playing demi-god?”
But a reliable source within the NWC stated that the governors acted in the party’s best interest.
The source insisted that the governors did not violate any laws, noting that the party did not appeal the matter.
He stated, “The governors did not violate any laws in their actions. As a key organ of the party, their decisions and directives are made with the best interests of the PDP in mind.”
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