PDP disowns spokesman’s statement ‘affirming’ Udeh-Okoye as national secretary

  

The national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says Debo Ologunagba, its spokesperson, was not authorised to issue a statement commending the supreme court for “affirming” Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary.

BACKGROUND

In December 2024, the court of appeal ruled that Udeh-Okoye should replace Samuel Anyanwu as PDP national secretary.

The south-east zonal executive committee of the party nominated Udeh-Okoye to replace Anyanwu after he became the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Imo state in 2023.

Anyanwu had obtained several court injunctions to prevent his removal from office.

However, in a verdict delivered on December 20, 2024, Ridwan Abdullahi, the appeal court judge, dismissed the judgment of the high court which prevented Anyanwu’s removal, for “lacking in merit”.

Following the judgment, Ude-Okoye was acting as the national secretary of the party.

However, Anyanwu said he appealed the judgment and also filed for a stay of execution at the supreme court same day the appeal court delivered the verdict in favour of Ude-Okoye.

On January 31, governors elected on the PDP platform recognised Udeh-Okoye as the scribe of the party.

The party’s board of trustees (BoT) also aligned with the governors.

SUPREME COURT VERDICT

On Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the debate over the position is an internal affair of the PDP which should not be adjudicated on.

Delivering the lead ruling, Jamilu Tukur, a judge, consequently struck out the judgment of the trial court delivered in October 2024 and also set aside the majority judgment of the court of appeal.

The court affirmed the minority judgment of the appellate court which had nullified the judgment of the trial court over a “lack of jurisdiction”.

The apex court also held that Aniagu Emmanuel, the plaintiff at the trial court, lacked the necessary legal backing to file the case.

Subsequently, Ologunagba issued a statement saying the judgment of the apex court affirmed Udeh-Okoye as the substantiative national secretary of the PDP.

He commended the supreme court for “upholding the principle of the supremacy of the party in the management of its internal affairs”, describing it as a “victory for democracy”.

 

‘CALCULATED FALSEHOOD’

In a statement issued on Saturday, Ibrahim Abdullahi, PDP deputy spokesperson, said Ologunagba’s statement is “misleading”.

Abdullahi said Umar Damagum, acting national chairman of the PDP, authorised him to dismiss the statement issued by Ologunagba.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the statement of Debo Olagunagba does not reflect the position of the PDP and the NWC respectively. The public should please disregard the falsehood,” he said.

“It is pertinent to inform the public that at no time did the Supreme Court recognize Hon Udeh Okoye as National Secretary, but only described him as an ‘impostor’ while the appellant, Emmanuel Aniagu as a ‘meddlesome Interloper’ respectively.

“The NWC hereby distances itself from the calculated falsehood aimed at achieving a predetermined objective, and to however, deceitfully mislead the public and PDP members.”

Abdullahi said of late, Ologunagba has been embarking on a “frolic of his own by taking extreme and contradictory opinions against the collective resolve of the NWC with a view to undermining its authority”.

He asked Nigerians and party members to “disregard and discard” Ologunagba’s statement, describing it as “merely the figment of the NPS’s imagination”.

“So far, the National Working Committee of our party cannot disregard or make gist of the judgement of the highest court in the land, as it will continue to uphold the decision of the court,” he said.

This is not the first time the PDP has distanced itself from statements issued by Ologunagba.

In January, the PDP said Ologunagba was not authorised to issue a statement accepting a court judgment nullifying the congresses conducted in Rivers state in 2024.