…Says decision vindicates Wabara, PDP govs

By Steve Oko

UMUAHIA – A pressure group known as PDP Frontiers for Change and Progress, has hailed the Supreme Court for denying Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s request for a stay of execution on the December 20, 2024, Appeal Court ruling that removed him as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Recall that the Appeal Court’s judgment had upheld the appointment of Rt. Hon. Udeh Okoye as the PDP National Secretary, but Anyanwu’s legal team approached the apex court seeking a stay of execution to prevent Ude-Okoye from taking office.

Ude-Okoye was appointed by South East PDP leaders as Anyanwu’s replacement when the embattled National Secretary sought the party’s flag for the November 11, 2023 Imo State governorship election.

The apex court, on Tuesday, after heated arguments by Anyanwu’s lawyer, refused to grant the request by Anyanwu to stay the judgement that recognized  Ude-Okoye as PDP’s authentic National Secretary.

A five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, okayed accelerated hearing of the case, and adjourned proceedings to March 10, 2025.

The Supreme Court further agreed that the judgement of the Appeal Court was a Declaratory Judgment  “that cannot be stayed.”

Reacting on the development, the National Coordinator of the PDP pro-group, Mr Emeka Yellow Ikpegbu, said the apex court had once again, shown “it cannot endorse  judicial rascality and abuse of court processes.”

He argued that Senator Anyanwu “cannot temporarily suspend the execution of the judgment of the Court of Appeal while his own appeal is being heard at the Supreme Court.”

According to him, the Supreme Court’s decision, has for the moment, ended Anyanwu’s illegal stay in office as the PDP National Secretary.

Ikpegbu further said that the decision of the apex court, had also vindicated the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led PDP Board of Trustees; and PDP Governors who had earlier advised the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party to swear in Ude-Okoye in compliance with the Court of Appeal judgment.

He argued that Ude-Okoye’s appointment as Anyanwu’s replacement was in tandem with the PDP’s constitution which provided that any party official seeking elective office should first resign his or her position in the party.

The PDP chieftain said it amounted to a gross violation of the party’s constitution for Anyanwu to return  to the same office he occupied after abandoning it to seek  an elective office.

He, therefore, urged the NWC of the PDP, to comply with the Court decisions which, according to him, had since been affirmed by the BoT and the PDP Governors respectively.

” We appeal to the NWC of our great party, to quickly swear in Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP in line with the court decisions , as well as the position of our Governors and the BoT members.”

He also said that the party should be ready to comply with the final judgement of the Supreme Court on the matter “whichever way it goes.”

” Yes, if at the end of the day the Supreme Court says Senator Anyanwu should be restored as the National Secretary of our party, then the NWC should swear him in. But for now, he has to vacate in compliance with the subsisting declaratory judgment of the Court of Appeal”.

On the controversy trailing the recent commendation of Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State by the BoT Chairman, Senator Wabara, Ikpegbu said that “those trying to twist and make political capital out of the honest personal view of the former Senate President,  are just being mischievous.”

He said there was nothing wrong with commending a performing political office holder irrespective of ones political affiliation.

Citing the recent commendation of Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State by President Ahmed Tinubu who is in a different political party, Ikpegbu dismissed attacks on Wabara for his complimentary comments on Otti as baseless.

” Recently, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu was in Enugu to inaugurate projects by Gov. Peter Mbah, and he praised the Governor so well for achieving so much. Has the APC suspended the President for an honest comment?

” People should know that governance is different from politics. How do you expect an elder statesman, a former Senate President to sacrifice truth on the altar of political correctness? That’s not democracy.

” Besides, Otti may decide tomorrow  to return to the PDP where he was before the same people who killed our party in 2023 made it uncondusive for him. We need Otti and other South East Governors in PDP to join Gov. Mbah to reclaim the zone for PDP in 2027. South East is a strong hold of the PDP, and the likes of Otti will help brighten PDP’s fortunes in the zone. PDP needs to secure additional state from South East and Abia has a brighter chance”.