National Secretary: S/East PDP still divided over Anyanwu, Ude-Okoye

CYRIL MBAH, Abuja and JACOB OGODO, Abakaliki

The South East caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has remained adamant on its position and demanded that Rt. Hon Sunday Ude-Okoye should be recognized by the party as the authentic PDP National Secretary in the interest of peace and justice.

At the presentation of it’s resolution to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP at the National Secretariat, the zone marshalled out its position and backed it up with facts and details which led to the emergence of Ude-Okoye.

The leader of the South East delegation and Senate Minority Whip, Senator Ostia Ngwu, while presenting the position paper to the PDP, said the zonal caucus stands firm on its resolution of May 14, 2025. which emanated from the Southeast Zonal Executive Committee at the Enugu State Government House.

Ngwu recalled that “after the meeting, a committee was raised and the reason why we visited here today is to make a presentation of the communique that was issued at the end of the meeting.

“Mr. Chairman, if you recall, on March 31st, 2025, the Supreme Court, which is the apex court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, brought to a closure the protracted issue surrounding the puzzle of the National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party.

“Following that judgment of the Supreme Court, the PDP Government House forum also met in Oyo State on the 14th of April, 2025, and also passed a resolution.
“You can also recall that here, at the National Office on April 29th, the National Working Committee also met and adopted that resolution of the governor’s forum.

And what is that resolution?
“The resolution is that the South East Zonal Executive Committee should meet and nominate a candidate that will fill in the position of the National Secretary.

“Mr. Chairman, I need to remind us, or make it clear, that the position of the South East on this issue has always been to find a pathway to a lasting resolution of the impacts and crisis in the PDP.

“And also, in all intent and purpose, to ensure that this party continues to progress well. We are looking for a lasting peace so that we can perform better in the upcoming and subsequent election.

“Mr. Chairman, from our communique, which is in this report that I am going to hand over to you, and in the meeting that was recently held by the South East Executive Committee of the party at the Zonal Office, we unanimously agreed and nominated the former youth leader of the party, Rt. Hon. S.K. Ude-Okoye, to be our nominee for the position of the National Secretary of our great party, the PDP.

“Mr. Chairman, we are going to give you this report, and our prayers and our urge and our appeal is that this party should carefully look through even other precedents that have been set in replacement of National Working Committee members or other officers of the committee of the PDP that has been done.

We are not trying to set a precedent. We are not trying to do a new thing because the precedent has been set.

“We are asking you to look at a zone that has been the backdrop and backbone of the PDP, a zone that has delivered all the National Assembly members, all governors to the PDP in the past, a zone that is eager to redeem its past glory.

“We are praying that the request of this zone should not be jeopardized. Let us look at it based on the point of its merits.

“Let it be a stepping stone in our urge and our drive to reposition our party. We are not here to make another request, but we are speaking to our consciences so that whatever decision that is taken at the end should be for the interest of the party and a position that is going to support us, a position that is going to lift the morale of the members of this great party towards a sustainable growth and a path of recovery.”

Responding, the Deputy National Chairman, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, who represented the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Ilya Damagum acknowledged the grievances of the Southeast and promised that the NWC will look into it to find lasting solution to give PDP peace in the zone and at the national level.

He said the resolution that was submitted will be discussed during the next meeting of the NWC, to enable the party to decide on the way forward, while the decision will be sent for discussion at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 27, this month.

While adding, “We will look at it, we will do justice to it, we will do our best,” Amb. Arapaja added, “But you know, when we transmit it to the NEC, which I am quite sure most of the members will be present there, some of our leaders who are not here as well, who are members of NEC as well, so we can find a lasting solution jointly to it.”

Arapaja begged the zone on behalf of the NWC, to reconsider its position adding, “but there is something that I read somewhere, but I will ask that you will consider your position as regards leaving the PDP.

“I know you are not happy and I understand why you are not happy, but even as you are angry out there, we can find a solution. It’s like a landlord running out of his own house, because the house is leaking.

“So, we’ll do our best, what we’ll do is to fix the problem, and I know we can do it, together we can do it. There is a solution. This is the only party that belongs to the people. Yes, it doesn’t belong to anybody.

It’s the only party where you can feel peaceful and you can express your opinion. It’s just like that in any family.
“So, I want to appeal that we can do it.

We can resolve it. And I know we will resolve it. I know and I’m quite sure that PDP will overcome. As I said, the resolution will be thoroughly discussed. We’ll do our best, and as you know, NEC has the final say,” he stated.

The PDP National Vice Chairman, South East, Chief. Ali Odefa, in an opening remark, said the NWC at its 600th meeting adopted the resolution of the PDP Governors Forum, which includes nominating Ude- Okoye’s name as National Secretary of the party from the zone.
According to him, the Zonal Executive Meeting was well attended by members who are constitutionally supposed to be in attendance during which the resolutions presented by Ngwu will be reviewed.

Some of the NWC members at the presentation ceremony included the acting National Secretary, Arc. Setonji Koshoefo, former National Organiding Secretary, Senator Austin Akobundu, and the PDP former National Woman Leader Iyom Josephine Anenih.

Interestingly , Champion learnt that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South East stakeholders have described the meeting of some members of the party held in Enugu recently as illegitimate.

The stakeholders said the meeting was held in the Enugu State Government House last week by the expelled former National Vice Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa was a nullity.

Chief Chidiebere Egwu, the new National Vice Chairman of the party in the zone stated this in Abakaliki after a meeting with stakeholders of the party in the zone during which they reaffirmed their support for Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party.

The stakeholders’ meeting was attended by the leaders of the party in the Southeast including the immediate past governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Senator Michael Amah Nnachi, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu, Hon Jones Onyeriri, the Zonal Legal Adviser, Barr. Ukpai Ukairo, Zonal Organising Secretary, Rt. Hon. Mike Ahumibe, the PDP Chairmen of PDP Imo and Abia states among many others.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, they reiterated their call for the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, the Supreme Court ruling that explicitly reaffirmed the position of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party.

They called on the NWC and the general public to disregard the meeting held at the behest of Odefa.

The stakeholders also reiterated their call for the immediate conduct of Congresses in Ebonyi and Anambra State who do not have a valid State Working Committee at present.

The communiqué recalled several judgments that affirmed the suspension and subsequent expulsion of Mr. Ali Odefa as the National Vice Chairman of the PDP Southeast and afterwards urged the Zonal Working Committee to immediately institute a “Contempt of Court” Proceedings against the former zonal chairman.

The Stakeholders also urged all party members and leaders to support the Senator Bukola Saraki led the reconciliation committee of the party to mediate the lingering crisis and leadership skirmishes in the interest of the survival of the party.

“We, PDP South East stakeholders comprising BOT members, National Working Committee members, former Governor, Senators, Honourable members of House of Representatives and House of Assembly Members, past and present, the National Vice Chairman, South East and Zonal Working members and major high net worth members of the PDP across the States in the South East hereby, resolve thus:

“We commend the leadership of the PDP for setting up the Dr. Bukola Saraki-led Reconciliatory Committee and we are hopeful that the outcome will be in line with the legal status of the state of affairs in the PDP as espoused in the constitution and decisions of the courts, and that major gladiators would abide by the outcome. It is hoped that the vile aim of the outcome of said meeting held at Government House, Enugu directed by the conveners and attendees at sabotaging the effort of the Reconciliatory Committee would come to nought.

“The Supreme Court has settled, with finality, the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, and it is on record that the INEC has, rightly, given effect to the said judgment, which is the right thing to do.

“In view of 2 above, we hereby serve a note of advice that, in the administration of the PDP, it is impossible to ignore the lawful status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP and any attempt to stand against this clear position of the law will cause irreversible political damages because INEC would not give effect to the outcome of conventions, congresses and primary elections that do not have the signature of the lawful National Secretary.

“In the same breath, it is important to stress that the Deputy National Secretary can only act in the absence of the National Secretary as evident in the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“The clear and express provision of the PDP Constitution is that the offices of the National Secretary and Deputy National Secretary are not conjunctive.

Accordingly, the pathway of directing the Deputy National Secretary to act in a situation where the National Secretary is not absent is an endorsement of illegality, which cannot stand legal scrutiny.

“We, therefore, call on the National Working Committee and in particular, the Acting National Chairman, to abide by the clear provisions of the Constitution of the PDP and comply with the Supreme Court judgment in order to steer the Party on the path of legality.

“The PDP is a political party that evolved on the altar of constitutional democracy, founded on respect for the rule of law. On this note we demand that the Board of Trustees, the conscience of the party, and the Governors’ Forum must give full effect to the tenets of rule of law, and the manifest implication of this historic burden, is that both bodies, do not have a choice other than to respect the status of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the lawful National Secretary.”