The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the Supreme Court for its judgement on the legal tussle over the position of National Secretary of the party.
The apex court, on Friday, March 21, held that the issue of Party leadership positions, including that of the National Secretary of the PDP, is entirely an internal affair of the political Parties, which the courts have no jurisdiction.
The court declared the position while ruling in an appeal brought before it by Senator Samuel Anyanwu to challenge the concurrent judgements of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which declared Sunday Ude-Okoye as National Secretary of the PDP.
Anyanwu was National Secretary of the party before he contested for the 2024 gubernatorial election in Imo State. He was subsequently replaced by Ude-Okoye.
Reaffirming Ude-Okoye as the authentic national Secretary of the PDP, the party, in a statement signed on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said, “Today’s judgement 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)”.
The NWC explained that “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.”
The NWC commended the Supreme Court for upholding the principle of the supremacy of the Party in the management of its internal affairs, describing it as victory for democracy.
It urged all patriotic members of the PDP to remain united as “we work together to move our great Party forward.”
