From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, yesterday, clashed over who is the authentic National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
While Ude-Okoye was at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, to assume office as new national secretary, Anyanwu told Daily Sun in a telephone interview that he remains the scribe of the opposition party.
This followed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which affirmed the nomination of Ude-Okoye, former national youth leader, as replacement for Anyanwu, as national secretary, by the South East chapter of the PDP.
The PDP South East PDP had at a meeting in Enugu in 2023 nominated the former national youth leader as replacement for Anyanwu following the latter’s nomination as the party’s candidate in the 2023 Imo State governorship election.
According to leaders of the PDP in the zone, Anyanwu ceased to be national secretary the moment he emerged as the party’s standard bearer for the last Imo gubernatorial contest.
The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, on December 20, upheld the judgment of an Enugu High Court that affirmed Udo-Okoye as Anyanwu’s replacement.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba last Friday, confirmed to Daily Sun that the party has received the judgment of the appellate court on the disputed national secretary position and would comply with it. “This judgement is very clear. There are orders that are contained there. The judgment and the orders consequential there are very clear. The party as a law abiding party will follow through the process and we will do the appropriate thing, without prejudice to whatever will happen there after.”
Consequently, Ude-Okoye, who reported at the Wadata Plaza, yesterday afternoon, said he was at the party secretariat to assume office as national secretary in accordance with the judgment of the court.
He expressed appreciation to PDP Governors Forum, Board of Trustees (BoT), the Former Ministers Forum and leaders of the party for their support.
“I appreciate the Governors forum that is giving me support. The former ministers’ forum, the BoT, the members of the party, the leaders of the party from my zone, who nominated me and stood by me. Even though there were many challenges before, the court has fixed it and made a pronouncement on December 20.”
However, Anyanwu told Daily Sun that he has appealed the judgment, noting that nobody can send any document to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as national secretary, except him. “I have filed a stay. All those things are just social media propaganda. Besides, I have a judgment that nobody in PDP can send anything to INEC except me,” he stated.