Shocking Twist: Sam Anyanwu's Role Restored by Supreme Court

In its decision on Friday, the supreme court overturned the decisions of a federal high court and the Enugu court of appeal.

Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has Anyanwu as an ally.

Udeh-Okoye and Anyanwu have been vying for the post of national secretary.

HISTORY

The court of appeals decided in December 2024 that Udeh-Okoye ought to take Anyanwu's post as PDP national secretary.

After Anyanwu was elected as the PDP's candidate for governor of Imo state in 2023, Udeh-Okoye was selected by the party's south-east zonal executive committee to succeed him.

To keep him from being removed from office, Anyanwu has secured multiple judicial injunctions.

But in a decision rendered on December 20, 2024, appellate court judge Ridwan Abdullahi rejected the high court's ruling that barred Anyanwu's dismissal, citing it as "lacking in merit."

Ude-Okoye was serving as the party's acting national secretary after the ruling.

Anyanwu, however, stated that on the same day the appellate court handed down the decision in favor of Ude-Okoye, he challenged the decision and also petitioned the Supreme Court for a stay of execution.

Udeh-Okoye was acknowledged as the party's scribe by governors chosen on the PDP platform on January 31.

The party's board of trustees (BoT) sided with the governors approximately a week later.

The five-member apex court bench concluded in its ruling that the argument over the position is an internal matter that should not be decided.

Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment, subsequently set aside the majority ruling of the court of appeals and struck out the trial court's October 2024 judgment.

The appeal court's minority ruling, which declared the trial court's decision invalid due to "lack of jurisdiction," was upheld by the court.

Additionally, the supreme court ruled that the plaintiff in the trial court, Aniagu Emmanuel, did not have the required legal support to bring the case.