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By Akeem Atoyebi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, has finally agreed to align with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to confirm Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary. This came after months of refusal to acknowledge Okoye.
Damagum finally arrived at this decision, during the NWC meeting on Wednesday, and it highlights an important shift in the internal wrangling within the main opposition party.
Damagum, is widely believed to be the major supporter of Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s claim to the position despite a Court of Appeal ruling nullifying his tenure, presented a memo to the NWC that led to Udeh-Okoye’s confirmation.
A statement by Debo Ologunagba, PDP National Publicity Secretary, noted that the NWC, after looking into the memo, studied key legal documents, including the declaratory judgment of the High Court of Enugu, the ruling of the Court of Appeal, and legal opinions from Dr. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and the party’s National Legal Adviser the NWC overwhelmingly endorsed and confirmed Udeh-Okoye as the PDP National Secretary in compliance with the Court of Appeal judgment, noting that there is no subsisting or superior court ruling contradicting the decision.
The party’s leadership also disclosed that it has started transmitting its resolution affirming Udeh-Okoye to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant bodies for formal recognition.
The NWC praised party members and stakeholders for their resolve to follow the rule of law and reinstated its commitment to the party’s constitution, operational guidelines, and democratic principles.
This development brings to a close the leadership tussle and firm up Udeh-Okoye’s position as the party’s duly recognized National Secretary.
The crisis over the National Secretary position of the PDP has been a protracted battle between Senator Anyanwu and Hon. Udeh-Okoye, both of whom laid claim to the office.
The controversy began following a series of conflicting court rulings and political maneuvering within the party. While Anyanwu, a former National Secretary, insisted on retaining the position, Udeh-Okoye secured judicial backing from the Enugu State High Court and the Court of Appeal in Enugu, which affirmed him as the rightful occupant of the office.
The dispute escalated, leading to interventions from key party organs. The PDP Governors Forum initially threw its weight behind Udeh-Okoye, prompting the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) to take a similar step to resolve the matter.
To achieve this, the BoT constituted a committee led by Dr. Tanimu Turaki (SAN) to examine the legal merits of both claims and make recommendations.
