The Supreme Court has overturned the removal of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ruling that lower courts had no jurisdiction over what it called an internal party matter.
In a unanimous verdict delivered on Friday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court declared that the High Court and Court of Appeal in Enugu had wrongly interfered in a political party’s internal affairs.
“The judiciary will only intervene when a political party is accused of violating its own laws and regulations,” Justice Jamilu Tukur stated in the lead judgment. He emphasized that it is not the duty of courts to determine a party’s leadership but to ensure due process, justice, and fairness.
The case began when a PDP member, Aniagu Emmanuel, challenged Anyanwu’s position, leading the High Court to remove him. The Court of Appeal upheld this decision and recognized Chief Udeh-Okoye Enemchukwu as the new National Secretary. The appellate court argued that Anyanwu violated the PDP Constitution by contesting in the 2023 Imo State governorship election while still holding office.
However, Anyanwu took the matter to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn both rulings. The apex court agreed with his argument, ruling that Aniagu Emmanuel lacked the legal standing to file the case.
“The plaintiff failed to establish his locus standi (legal right) to institute the action,” the Supreme Court declared, effectively voiding the earlier judgments.
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Party Leadership Dispute Deepens
The decision throws the PDP’s leadership dispute into further controversy. The party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Working Committee (NWC) had earlier endorsed Chief Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary based on the lower courts’ rulings.
Anyanwu, however, had rejected this move, arguing that his position was still subject to ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, Udeh-Okoye had maintained in a separate case at the Federal High Court in Abuja that Anyanwu had automatically lost his position after his governorship nomination.
Citing Article 47(5) of the PDP Constitution, Udeh-Okoye stated that any party official seeking elective office must resign beforehand. He also referenced Article 47(6), which allows someone from the same zone to complete the remainder of a vacated tenure.
According to Udeh-Okoye, the PDP’s South East zonal executives nominated him for the role in October 2022, and the party’s BOT formally endorsed him in October 2023.
Next Legal Battle Set for March 25
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Anyanwu, the legal battle is not over. Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled a hearing for March 25 on Anyanwu’s request to halt the lower court rulings, which have now been nullified.
The Supreme Court’s decision has reignited tensions within the PDP as both factions struggle for control over the National Secretary position. Observers are watching closely to see whether the party leadership will fully reinstate Anyanwu or if another round of legal and political maneuvering will follow.