The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has recognised Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the authentic National Secretary of the party.
The BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, disclosed this after the BoT meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja.
Wabara said the recognition followed the recommendations of the Taminu Turaki-led committee set up by the party to study the legal dispute between Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye, both of whom are laying claim to the seat.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, as Anyanwu and Udey-Okoye have continued to lay claim to the office of the national secretary.
NAN also reports that a High Court and the Court of Appeal, both sitting in Enugu, had, on Dec. 20, 2024 and Jan. 14, removed Anyanwu from office and recognised Udeh-Okoye as the PDP national secretary.
Anyanwu, however, later secured a stay of execution order from the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, in an appeal No. CA/E/24/2024 on the judgment earlier delivered by the Enugu division of the appellate court.
Also, the PDP Governors’ Forum had, in a communiqué issued after its meeting held on Jan. 30 in Asaba, called for implementation of court judgment recognising Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary.
Wabara said that the BoT, in exercise of its constitutional powers, received, exhaustively considered and adopted the report of the Turaki-led committee with regards to the declarative judgment of the High Court of Enugu, as upheld by the Court of Appeal on the matter.
“Consequently, the BoT by adopting the report, recognises Udeh-Okoye as the substantive national secretary of PDP,” he said.
Wabara said this was in full obedience to the declaratory judgment of the High Court of Enugu, as upheld by the Court of Appeal, as there had been no contrary or overriding judgment from any court of superior jurisdiction.
“The BoT charges the National Working Committee (NWC) to recognise and immediately swear in Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the PDP, in obedience to the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
“The BoT urges all party organs, critical stakeholders, leaders and members across the country as well as all democracy development partners and institutions to be guided by the judgment of the court of appeal about the position of the national secretary of PDP,” he said.
The BoT chairman commended the PDP governors’ forum, the NWC, the South East Executive Committee and all other organs of the party for their steadfastness in upholding the provisions of the constitution and operational guidelines of the party.
He also said that BoT unanimously passed a vote of confidence on him as the chairman and Sen. Ahmed Makarfi as Secretary ‘for their outstanding leadership in piloting the affairs of the BoT and stabilising the party’.
Wabara urged all party members to remain united and continue to work together to strengthen PDP and reclaim its rightful place in the leadership of our country.
