The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to escalate as the two factional secretaries, Sunday Ude-Okoye and Samuel Anyanwu,vowed to resume office today, Monday, January 13, 2025.
This development comes despite the Court of Appeal’s recent judgment affirming Ude-Okoye as the PDP national secretary.
Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday, maintained their stance, with Ude-Okoye emphasizing that he is the rightful national secretary, while Anyanwu insisted that he remains the recognized party secretary, having filed a stay of execution in court.
The PDP has been embroiled in a crisis since the 2023 election, with many party members blaming the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, for the turmoil.
The latest crisis began in 2023 when the South-East zone nominated Ude-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he emerged as the party’s candidate for the Imo State governorship election.
The development has polarized the party, with top officials supporting either of the two men. At least 12 National Working Committee (NWC) members and some governors are backing Ude-Okoye, while others remain loyal to Anyanwu.
The PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, has emphasized the importance of obeying the court judgment to prevent anarchy. Wabara encouraged anyone dissatisfied with the judgment to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, reaffirmed that Ude-Okoye remains the party secretary, in accordance with the Appeal Court’s Enugu judgment.
Ologunagba stated that the party was not aware of any stay of execution and that the NWC, governors, and the Board of Trustees have all recognized Ude-Okoye as the party scribe.
As the crisis deepens, the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi, have called for calm, warning that the tussle could exacerbate the party’s problems if not handled carefully.
