- Udeh-Okoye takes seat, Anyanwu absent
For the first time this year, some key members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met at the party’s national secretariat yesterday in Abuja.
But supporters of Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye, who are both claiming to be the National Secretary of the party, attempted to disrupt the meeting.
The presence of law enforcement agencies – the police, soldiers, and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) – deterred the opposing supporters from causing chaos.
The meeting was held behind closed doors amid tension and anxiety between the party’s loyalists and thugs working for contending groups.
It was learnt that the party’s leadership spent about two hours to take security precautions ahead of the meeting to avert a likely breach of the peace.
The security operatives deployed to maintain law and order dispersed the protesters.
Sunday Udeh-Okoye took his seat as the PDP National Secretary while Senator Anyanwu, who is fighting a legal battle to occupy the same seat, did not attend the meeting.
Loyalists of both sides expressed optimism that they were “winning” the legal battle.
A supporter of Udeh-Okoye alluded to his presence at the NWC meeting as enough evidence while one of Anyanwu’s supporters dismissed the meeting as a charade.
Read Also: Sanwo-Olu lauds city for economic transformation
“The Supreme Court will soon take a decision for all to see. But you should note that the PDP National Legal Adviser, Alhaji Kamaldeen Ajibade, who knows the implications of all these, wisely decided to be absent from a kangaroo arrangement that will be eventually invalidated in the court of law.
“Besides, the Appeal Court ruling of January 16, 2025 explicitly made it clear that no one can give effect to the idea of bringing in a new National Secretary,” Anyanwu’s supporter said.
The agenda of the PDP NWC was not made public. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who was still at the meeting last night, sent a message to reporters that there would be briefing today on the outcome of the meeting.
Issues expected to be discussed at the meeting include arrangements for the much-postponed National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Some stakeholders hoped to tackle loyalists of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and replace the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, and Senator Anyanwu.
Also, arrangements for the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election, the pending Supreme Court case on the tussle between Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye as well as a review and nullification of PDP state congresses conducted in some states under the supervision of suspected loyalists of Wike were said to have been slated for discussion.
A source at the PDP national secretariat told The Nation that in the bid to take a hurried decision towards expelling Anyanwu from the PDP, recommendations from the Chief Tom Ikimi-led National Disciplinary Committee may have been transmitted to the NWC meeting.