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he crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has further escalated as embattled Senator Samuel Anyanwu strongly condemned the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) for affirming former National Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, as the National Secretary.
In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Anyanwu dismissed the BoT’s decision, arguing that the tenure of most board members expired in October 2024, rendering their endorsement invalid.
BoT Upholds Court Ruling
On Wednesday, the Chairman of the BoT and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, announced that the trustees had reviewed the report of a committee led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, and affirmed Udeh-Okoye as the PDP’s National Secretary in line with the ruling of the Court of Appeal.
The PDP has been grappling with deep internal divisions, exacerbated by leadership disputes before and after the 2023 general elections. The crisis worsened following the selection of Udeh-Okoye in 2023 by the party’s South East zone to replace Anyanwu, who had been nominated as the PDP’s governorship candidate for the Imo State election. While some party members supported the transition, Anyanwu and his loyalists resisted, leading to ongoing disputes.
Court Ruling and Rising Tensions
On December 20, 2024, the Court of Appeal in Enugu ruled in favor of Udeh-Okoye, confirming him as the National Secretary. The judgment was officially communicated to the party leadership four days later, on December 24. However, rather than resolving the crisis, the ruling has intensified the power struggle.
Tensions boiled over on January 28 when Anyanwu’s supporters stormed a BoT meeting, forcibly removing Udeh-Okoye from the venue. Security operatives had to intervene to restore order.
In response, PDP governors, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, reaffirmed their support for the Court of Appeal’s ruling and urged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to implement the judgment. The governors, in a meeting held in Asaba, Delta State, distanced themselves from Anyanwu, formally recognizing Udeh-Okoye as the party’s legitimate National Secretary.
Anyanwu Petitions Police, Supreme Court
Despite the mounting opposition, Anyanwu remains defiant. On February 1, he petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, the Supreme Court, and the Appeal Court, insisting that he remains the rightful National Secretary of the PDP. He accused the party’s governors of worsening the crisis and called for urgent intervention.
BoT Defends Its Decision
Defending its stance, the BoT insisted that its decision was based on thorough deliberation and constitutional provisions. Wabara, reading the board’s communiqué, cited Sections 13 (1) (r) and 32 (5) (a) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), which empower the BoT to uphold high moral standards and call erring party officials to order.
“The BoT, in exercise of its constitutional powers,
