The Supreme Court of Nigeria has clarified the legal status of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretary position, stating that it did not declare Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s recognized National Secretary.
The ruling, delivered on March 21, 2025, reaffirmed that matters concerning party leadership and membership are internal affairs of political parties and fall outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Jamilu Tukur, upheld the dissenting opinion of Justice Ekanem from the Court of Appeal, which held that lower courts lacked jurisdiction to intervene in the dispute.
However, the ruling did not explicitly reinstate Anyanwu but rather emphasized that such matters should be resolved through the PDP’s internal mechanisms as outlined in its constitution.
Following the judgment, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) issued a statement reaffirming that Sunday Ude-Okoye remains the party’s substantive National Secretary.
The party maintained that Ude-Okoye’s nomination and ratification followed due process after Anyanwu became the PDP’s governorship candidate for the 2023 Imo State election, aligning with the Supreme Court’s position that internal party affairs should be handled within the party structure.
