Politics
PDP secretary: Wike camp fights back kicks as BoT backs Govs
As the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party persists, the embattled Senator Samuel Anyanwu has lambasted the Board of Trustees for affirming former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.
Anyanwu, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, dismissed the BoT’s affirmation of Ude-Okoye, stating that most of the board’s members tenure elapsed since last October.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Chairman of the BoT and former Senate President, Adulphus Wabara, stated that after reviewing the community report of Tanimu Turaki, the trustees confirmed the former National Youth Leader as the party’s secretary in accordance with the Appeal Court’s ruling.
PDP has been grappling with significant internal issues, both before and after the 2023 general elections. These struggles have contributed to ongoing instability within the party, leading to deep divisions among its members.
Umar Damagum, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, has faced increasing criticisms from party members. Many have held him responsible for the party’s continued difficulties, especially after he succeeded Iyorchia Ayu.
The crisis within the PDP has been further complicated by a disagreement over the National Secretary position. In 2023, the South East zone of the party nominated the former National Youth Leader to replace Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had been selected as the party’s candidate for the Imo State governorship election. This nomination sparked further conflict within the party, with factions demanding Anyanwu stepped down due to his new political commitments.
On December 20, 2024, the Appeal Court in Enugu ruled in favor of Ude-Okoye, confirming him as the new National Secretary. This decision was communicated to the party leadership on December 24. However, the leadership crisis did not end there, as tensions continued to rise within the party over the issue of the National Secretary position.
Tensions escalated on January 28, when supporters of Anyanwu forcibly removed Ude-Okoye from a BoT meeting, prompting security forces to intervene and restore order. In response to this, PDP governors, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, endorsed the Court of Appeal’s decision and urged the National Working Committee to implement the ruling.
The governors also distanced themselves from Anyanwu, confirming Ude-Okoye as the legitimate National Secretary during a recent meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
Meanwhile, Anyanwu, in his petition to the Inspector-General of Police, the Supreme Court, and the Appeal Court on February 1, insisted that he remained the rightful PDP National Secretary. He described the endorsement of Ude-Okoye by the party’s governors as an act that would exacerbate the crisis and called for their intervention in the matter.
However, Wabara insisted the BoT’s decision was made after thoroughly reviewing all the issues and documents provided by Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu.
The BoT chairman, who read the communiqué, stated, “The Board of Trustees asserts its position as a prominent ORGAN of the PDP as enshrined under Section 13 (1) (r) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017)
“The BoT also asserts its inherent authority under Section 32 (5) (a) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) which empowers it to ensure highest standards of morality in all the activities of the party by acting as the conscience of the party, with powers to call to order any officer of the party, whose conduct falls below the norms.
“The BoT in exercise of its constitutional powers received, exhaustively considered and hereby adopt the report of its committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN on the issue of the National Secretary of the PDP especially with regard to the declarative judgment of the High Court of Enugu as upheld by the Court of Appeal.
“Consequently, the BoT, by adopting the report, recognises Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full obedience to the declaratory Judgment of the High Court of Enugu as also upheld by the Court of Appeal there being no contrary or overriding judgment from any Court of superior jurisdiction.”
He stated that the BoT was pleased with the efforts of the PDP Governors’ Forum and the NWC in successfully setting Thursday, March 13th, 2025 as the date for the highly anticipated National Executive Committee meeting.
The communiqué read in part, “The BoT charges the National Working Committee (NWC) to recognise and immediately swear in Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP in obedience to the Judgment of the Court of Appeal.
“The BoT urges all party organs, critical stakeholders, leaders and members across the country as well as all democracy development partners and institutions to be guided by the judgment of the Court of Appeal with regard to the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.
“The BoT commends the PDP Governors’ Forum, the National Working Committee, South East Executive Committee and all other organs of the Party for their steadfastness in upholding the provisions of the Constitution and operational Guidelines of the PDP.
“The BoT expresses satisfaction with the PDP Governors’ Forum and the National Working Committee (NWC) for their concerted efforts in finally setting Thursday, March 13th, 2025 as the date for the much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our Party especially bearing in mind that the NEC meeting is the platform for critical deliberations that will shape the future of our party and by extension, the future of Nigeria.”
A reliable source, who attended the BoT meeting but spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, stated that the Trustees endorsed Ude-Okoye based on the judgment and the expiration of Anyanwu’s temporary stay of execution.
He stated, “Turaki briefed the BoT members, and we unanimously affirmed Ude-Okoye. This is because the Appeal Court’s Enugu judgment is a declarative judgment that cannot be stayed.
“The second reason is that the purported stay of execution Anyanwu said he has was a temporary stay and not indefinite. It expired on January 27th. That was the day the motion for stay was supposed to be considered, but the matter did not come up, so the stay elapsed because it is time-bound.”
In response, Anyanwu, who described the BoT’s backing of Ude-Okoye as “unfortunate”, stated that he was still the National Secretary, as confirmed by the stay of execution granted by the Appeal Court, Division.
He stated, “The BoT position is unfortunate, especially when there is a stay of execution on the matter. Let’s talk about the BoT, 80 per cent of the members’ tenures expired in October 2024. Most states have already nominated their replacements, so they are just there for nothing. Whatever they say is not binding, and it is not the position of the law.
Similarly, a member of the PDP NWC, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, along with a NEC member and the former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, called on Anyanwu to step down and allow Ude-Okoye take over as National Secretary.
On the other hand, other NEC members, including Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor, have supported Anyanwu remaining as the party’s scribe, while former National Publicity Secretary Diran Odeyemi proposed that the Governors’ Forum and BoT arrange a meeting with Anyanwu to discuss their position with him.
The source disclosed that most NWC members were already opposed to the unnecessary crisis surrounding the National Secretary seat and wanted it resolved immediately.
He stated, “Most members of the NWC are not happy that this crisis over the National Secretary has degenerated to this level. Most of them want it resolved now.
“The right thing to do is for Anyanwu to step aside and pursue his case in the Supreme Court. The BoT, Governors and other leaders of the party have spoken, so he should, in the interest of peace, step aside and allow the NWC to implement the judgment freely. If he fails to do so, with the judgment and the position of the Governors and BoT, then the crisis will continue to affect the party.”
Ologbondiyan urged Anyanwu to step aside if his actions were truly in the best interest of the party.
He stated “I think Senator Anyanwu should just accept the verdict and wishes of the party leaders unless there is something else in this matter.
“This is in the interest of the party. And the organs of the party are saying that you should go and prosecute the youth matter in the Supreme Court. So, Anyanwu should obey the court and the party leaders. When he wins the matter at the Supreme Court, he should bring it to the party.
“Plotting to remain as National Secretary despite the court judgment and the position of our leaders will set a very wrong precedent, and it will be unfortunate for our party.
“So, the BoT is the conscience of the party, and the Governors’ Forum, as the most influential organ of the party, has spoken. So, Anyanwu should obey.
“If what Anyanwu is fighting for is really in the interest of the party, I don’t think his actions should continue to hurt the party. So, I don’t foresee a situation where this will continue.”
Taking a different stance, the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Osadolor stated that Anyanwu should remain the National Secretary until the Supreme Court ruled otherwise.
He stated, “These are old men who are always biased. You see, the BoT should naturally be the conscience of the party and should not be seen taking sides. But that is not so with this Wabara-led BoT.
“They met in a hotel. I don’t know who’s the influencer, who’s the guardian, and issued their proclamations that they know are null and void. At the end of the day, instead of looking at how to best assuage and solve the problems that beset the party, the BoT, led by Senator Wabara, is further compounding the issues.
“And it’s a misnomer. When elders, who should ordinarily play the role of elders, are not playing the role and are not stepping into the arena, what do you expect? It’s unfortunate. Is Wabara not aware that once there is a stay of execution, or once there is a filing of a case at the Supreme Court, it automatically stays the judgment of the lower court?
“An elder should behave like an elder. It is unfortunate when he cannot behave like an elder. This is beyond emotions and party affiliation. It is an issue of legality now. The issue is in the Supreme Court. For the BoT chairman to be discussing the issue is subjudice and is an aberration. He should apologise.
“I may not like Senator Anyanwu, I may hate Senator Anyanwu, but does that change the fact of what the law of the land says? So, Anyanwu should continue in his capacity as secretary of PDP. The law says he can continue because there is a stay already.
“It is the law. We must learn to follow the law. Whether it pleases me or it pleases you, let the law remain sacrosanct. Nobody should be bigger than the law. We should not take sides with the law when it’s favourable or choose to take sides with the law when it’s not favourable.”
Odeyemi, on his part, urged the PDP governors and BoT to invite Anyanwu to a meeting to clarify their position.
The former Deputy National Publicity Secretary stated that this approach would help resolve the issues and foster lasting peace within the party.
He stated, “May God help PDP. If, in the wisdom of the BoT and Governors’ Forum, it is believed that endorsing Ude-Okoye will help achieve peace in PDP, may God help us.
“I think both the BoT and Governors’ Forum consist of eminent personalities who are very knowledgeable in the constitution of Nigeria and that of the PDP. They must have their reasons for endorsing Ude-Okoye as secretary. If the endorsement of Ude-Okoye will bring peace to PDP, then so be it.
“Anyanwu said he has gone to the Supreme Court. I think the BoT and the Governors’ Forum can do more by calling him and having a meeting with him so that peace can be fully achieved.”
By Okey Maduforo Awka
The former member that represented Anambra East and West Federal Constituency Chief Chinedu Obidigwe has denied a social media handle where he was said to have made Prof Charles Soludo the Governor of Anambra state.
Obidigwe further stated that the report did neither emanate from him or from his Media Aides urging the party not to believe what he called attempt at setting a negative agenda in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Obidigwe who is an Aspirant of the party for the Anambra East and West Federal Constituency accused enemies of the party being sponsored by opposition parties to creat problems .
According to the Media Assistant to Obidigwe Mr Dominic Okagbue in a statement;
“The attention of Hon. Chinedu Benjamin Obidigwe has been drawn to misleading and unfounded claims/propaganda being circulated on various social media platforms through a pseudo account, alleging that Obidigwe said he installed the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, as Governor in 2021”
“We wish to state, without any iota of equivocation, that such a statement never emanated from Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe. It is a desperate move by his political enemies who are bent on tarnishing his image as a tool and technique to advance their unmerited aspirations”
“Obidigwe, in 2021, was merely an electorate with just one vote. Even though he voted for the Governor and APGA, the question remains: can one man’s vote make a Governor?”
“Governor Soludo was elected and made Governor through the collective votes of Ndi Anambra, both in his first and second terms. We therefore call on the reading public to disregard such rumours and treat them as faceless and unfounded allegations geared towards the character assassination of an innocent man” he said.
A former Kano State Governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Kwankwaso, says northern political leaders conducted a deliberate assessment of potential allies before settling on Peter Obi as the most capable partner to prosecute the 2027 presidential campaign.
He dismissed concerns about a hidden power struggle between his camp and Obi’s.Politics
Kwankwaso made the disclosure in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, offering one of his most detailed accounts yet of how the North-Southeast political alliance within the NDC was formed.
“I looked around together with our leadership in the north to say, okay, who do we think is capable? Who can come and work together with us honestly so that we can move this country? Along the line, we realised that Peter Obi is at the forefront of it. That’s why we all accepted to work together,” he said.Political candidate profile
Kwankwaso, a two-term former governor of Kano State and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in 2023, leads the Kwankwasiyya movement, a grassroots political force with deep loyalty across Kano and parts of northern Nigeria.Nigeria travel guide
He left the NNPP amid internal disputes before joining the NDC alongside Obi earlier this month.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, ran on the Labour Party platform in 2023 and drew massive youth-driven support across the South and urban centres, though he did not win.
Both men formally joined the NDC on Sunday, May 3, defecting from the crisis-hit African Democratic Congress.Politics
At the party’s national convention on Saturday in Abuja, Kwankwaso backed the NDC’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing it as a step toward fairness, healing and national cohesion.
Responding to a question about whether the alliance concealed a quiet rivalry between both camps, Kwankwaso argued that friction between principals and their deputies was a product of greed, not structural tension.
“The problem people are having, especially leaders, is that they are too greedy to the extent that they begin to have issues. There is so much to do. You don’t have to fight your deputy,” he said.
He said his record as a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, and later as governor of Kano State, showed that political partnerships could hold under pressure.
“I had an opportunity to work with my speaker and we worked very well. I was in Kano for eight years despite the difficulty of my then deputy governor. We were able to work for eight years amicably to the extent that I handed over to him,” he said.
Kwankwaso extended the argument beyond his personal experience, saying the same principle applied at the federal level.
In the Senate and other places, in the NDDC, we worked amicably with people. There is so much to be done and that’s why you have even ministers, other executives, advisors and so on. I don’t see from my experiences of the past why deputies or vice would fight with the president or governor,” he said.
He grounded the alliance in Nigerian political history, tracing a lineage of productive North-Southeast partnerships from the first republic to the present.Nigeria travel guide
“Right from the beginning, this sort of alliance has been in existence. Now we are going back to what Tafawa Balewa did during their time,” he said.
He also referenced the collaboration between former Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and leaders of the NCNC, as well as that of former President Shehu Shagari and his vice president, Alex Ekwueme, in the second republic.
“So also in the second republic, immediately after the war, our leaders, Shagari and others, worked very closely with the southeast, with Alex Ekwueme as his vice president. They are our friends. We want to work together with them,” he said.Politics
Kwankwaso also noted that subsequent administrations had shifted power-sharing away from the South-East, a pattern he suggested the current alliance was correcting.
“There was a change during the third republic where for many obvious reasons an election was annulled and the government under the military decided to bring in Shonekan from the South-West.
Even after that, the military and other leaders worked together and brought in Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from the South-West again. Even Bola Tinubu probably is a beneficiary of all that,” he said.
He was emphatic that the choice of Obi was not driven by regional sentiment alone.
“It wasn’t just because we are going to the South-West just because of the South-West. No. We realised that Peter Obi is at the forefront of it and that’s why we all accepted to work together,” he said.Political candidate profile
The movement of both men into the NDC has triggered a wave of defections, with senators, House of Representatives members and political blocs aligned with their former coalition gravitating toward the new party, rapidly reshaping calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.
The alliance pairs Kwankwaso’s northern grassroots structure and disciplined voter mobilisation with Obi’s national youth engagement and urban electoral momentum, positioning the NDC as one of the main opposition platforms set to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027
Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has dismissed suggestions that his exit from the African Democratic Congress has created a damaging split in the opposition.
He said he and Atiku Abubakar may yet work together before the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso spoke in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, responding to concerns that his move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside Peter Obi had effectively divided the opposition into two competing blocs ahead of the polls.
“Now, we may still work together before the election. I personally, and I think even Obi himself, decided to leave ADC not because we are fighting with Atiku or anybody there. We decided to leave that party because we realised that there are some issues,” he said
He said the ADC was contending with three major unresolved problems that he believed would make it difficult for the party to field candidates, without specifying what those issues were.
“Whether they will be able to field candidates in that party or not is just a matter of time. It’s not like we had a primary election,” he said
The remarks come after Atiku recently claimed on Arise TV that Kwankwaso’s popularity was confined to Kano State and further divided there by Governor Abba Yusuf.
Atiku, who is seeking the presidency on the ADC platform, also described himself as the most popular politician of northern extraction, saying none of his contemporaries, including Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and Nasir El-Rufai, commanded a voter base across the North as wide as his.
Kwankwaso did not engage the slight directly, but made clear he bore no grudge.
“Politics is just like a game. I’m not fighting anybody and I’m not expecting anybody to fight me. I have no issue with that. I think we are past that level now,” he said.
He challenged those predicting a vote split in Kano to wait for the election result before drawing conclusions.
“Let’s wait for the election and see whether votes are split in Kano or not,” he said.
Kwankwaso also acknowledged a history of working with Atiku, recalling that he served as the former vice president’s northern coordinator during the 2019 presidential election.
“There was an election in 2019 in Port Harcourt. He won the election. I was his coordinator for the north. We worked for him,” he said.
He traced his broader relationship with Atiku to the 2015 APC presidential primary in Lagos, where he placed second behind Muhammadu Buhari, with Atiku third.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expelled 30 members of the party for instituting legal actions against the party.
The affected members include some aspirants for the National Assembly, and their expulsion may disqualify them from participating in the party’s primary elections.
Disclosing this shortly after the meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party, the State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Sir Valentine Iyiegbu, told reporters that the decision was in line with Section 21, Subsection 5 of the party’s constitution.
“The party discussed those who took the party to court, and many of them are contesting for the House of Representatives tickets of the party,” he said.
“The matter comes up tomorrow, and the SEC stated that what the party constitution stipulates would be followed, which is outright expulsion from the party under Article 21, Subsection 5.”
“The SEC actually ratified their expulsion because they did not exhaust all the internal avenues provided by the party to resolve their grievances,” he added.
Iyiegbu noted that the only reprieve available to the expelled members would be for them to withdraw their court cases.
“It is only when the matters are withdrawn from the court that the party can consider listening to them,” he said.
Speaking on the party’s primary elections, he explained:
“In the case of those contesting for the tickets of the Federal House of Representatives, all the eleven positions have aspirants, while for the Senate, the three positions are also being contested. The screening committees were here to perform their duties,” he noted.
The party also ratified the appointment of a five-man Primary Elections Committee headed by Sir Izuchukwu Okeke, the State Organising Secretary of the party.
By PETRUS OBI
Frontline aspirant for the Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency seat, Anayo Onwuegbu, has successfully completed the screening exercise conducted by the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives screening panel in Abuja ahead of the party primaries scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026.
Speaking after the exercise, Onwuegbu expressed satisfaction with the screening process, describing it as a reflection of the party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and credible leadership selection ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The aspirant, who is seeking to represent Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency under the platform of the APC, stated that he remains focused and prepared to continue to offer quality representation to the people of the constituency.
According to him, “The process once again highlights our party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and the emergence of credible leadership as we prepare for the 2027 general elections.”
He reaffirmed his dedication to the development of the constituency, pledging to serve the people with commitment and purpose if elected.
The APC House of Representatives primaries are expected to hold nationwide on Friday as aspirants battle for the party’s tickets ahead of the 2027 elections.
-
News3 days ago“Go and Verify”: How Sunday Umeha Is Redefining Representation in Ezeagu/Udi
-
News4 days ago
Chief Sir Paul Chukwuma Lays His Beloved Sister to Rest
-
Politics4 days agoAnambra Communities Boil As Group Carpets Traditional Rulers Over Zoning
-
News4 days ago2027: Anambra ADC Intact Despite Obi, Kwankwaso Departure – Guber Candidate
-
Tech3 days agoHow Chatgpt Detector Tools Are Changing Content Verification
-
Politics1 day agoAPC House of Reps Screening: Onwuegbu Clears Exercise Ahead Of Primaries
-
Crime2 days agoFake Pastors Arrested in Anambra as Soludo Begins Crackdown
-
Education2 days agoEnugu: CIC Student Drowns While Trying To Retrieve Bucket From Water Reservoir