The National Secretary of the Democratic Party (PDP) of the people, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has given alarm for what he calls an illegal attempt to get him out of office, warning that such an effort will be “vehemently resisted.”
In a request dated February 1, 2025, Anyanwu condemned the PDP governors forum for advising the National Labor Committee (NWC) to implement a ruling from the Court of Appeals that Ude-Okoye recognized on Sunday as the substantive national secretary.
Anyanwu argued that this Council directly contradicts a pending appeal in the Supreme Court and an existing court order that requires that all parties maintain the status quo until the case is resolved.
He stressed that the Court of Appeal had ordered, on January 13, 2025, to both parties to preserve the current structure until the final determination of the case, which the law requires that they defend.
He accused Ude-Okoye of illegally assaulting the National Secretariat of the Party on January 29 with “hired thugs and bandits” to interrupt a meeting of the Board of Trustees (Bot), despite not being a member.
Anyanwu described the action as a discarded contempt by the Judiciary and the rule of law.
Anyanwu also claimed that Ude-Okoye sponsors were under criminal investigation for falsifying PDP guidelines to deceive courts and ensure fraudulent judgments.
In his request, Anyanwu urged the police to intervene and prevent a crisis, warning that attempts to implement the Council of the Governors would be “an invitation to chaos” and a caterpillar to the Judiciary.
Anyanwu argues that he is still the elected national secretary elected from the PDP until the courts say otherwise and promised to resist any effort to eliminate it.
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His request highlights the current leadership crisis within the PDP, with divisions between the NWC and Bot.
The controversy comes from the ruling of the Court of Appeals in ENUGU, which declared Ude-Okoye as the substantive national secretary after Anyanwu's departure to dispute the 2024 IMI state governor elections.
Anyanwu's appeal before the Supreme Court challenges this ruling, arguing that the sentence cannot be enforced until the final decision is made.
The PDP governors forum supported the appointment of Ude-Okoye after the decision of the Court of Appeals and commissioned the NWC to implement it. Anyanwu's resistance to this movement has further increased tensions before the meeting of the Reprogrammed National Executive Committee (NEC) on March 13, 2025.