From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has said that the Supreme Court by its judgment in the disputed national secretary position has affirmed former National Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the authentic scribe of the party.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Friday , lauded the apex court for upholding the principle of party supremacy in managing its affairs.
The national secretary position has been a source of litigation between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye. However, the Supreme Court in its judgment, on Friday, voided the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which upheld the judgment of an Enugu Court which sacked Anyanwu as national secretary.
Nonetheless, the Supreme Court upheld the minority judgment of the appealate court, which stated that the Enugu High Court has no jurisdiction to try the matter as it was an internal affairs of the party.
The opposition party stated that the judgment has affirmed that the issue of party positions, including that of the National Secretary, is purely an internal affair of the Party, which the courts have no jurisdiction over.
“Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirms the standing position of the Party and emphatically settles the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the substantiative National Secretary of the PDP having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory Organs and bodies in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
“For clarity, the NWC at its 576th meeting held on the 11th of October, 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement for Senator Samuel Anyanwu upon Senator Anyanwu’s nomination as the governorship candidate of the PDP to contest the November 2023 Governorship election in Imo State.
“Consequent upon the directive of the NWC, the South East Zonal Executive Committee at its meeting held on the 20th of October 2023 passed a resolution approving the emergence and forwarding of the name of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye to the NWC as the National Secretary of the Party.
“Accordingly, the NWC at its 577th meeting held on 7th of November 2023 pursuant to its powers under the PDP Constitution, duly received, deliberated upon, accepted and approved the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary of the Party, which appointment has also since been endorsed by relevant Organs and bodies of the PDP including the Board of Trustees (BoT), South East Zonal Caucus, the PDP Governors’ Forum and officially communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the general public.”
