The Supreme Court ruling on Friday (today) on the disputed position of the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP appears to be creating more confusion within the ranks of the party as the ruling is being subjected to different interpretations.
While the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba hailed the judgment as affirming Udo-Okoye as the recognized National Secretary, another version is applauding the apex court as returning Samuel Anyawu as National Secretary
In a statement, the spokesperson of the National Working Committee, NWC of the party, Debo Ologunagba had said that the Supreme Court affirmed that the issue of Party leadership positions, including that of the National Secretary is entirely an internal affair of the Party requiring only the Party internal mechanism to which the courts have no jurisdiction.
He maintained that the judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirmed the standing position of the Party and emphatically settled the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory Organs and bodies in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
Ologunagba stated that the NWC at its 576th meeting held on the 11th of October, 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement for Senator Samuel Anyanwu upon Senator Anyanwu’s nomination as the governorship candidate of the PDP to contest the November 2023 Governorship election in Imo State.
“Consequent upon the directive of the NWC, the South East Zonal Executive Committee at its meeting held on the 20th of October 2023 passed a resolution approving the emergence and forwarding of the name of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye to the NWC as the National Secretary of the Party.
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“Accordingly, the NWC at its 577th meeting held on 7th of November 2023 pursuant to its powers under the PDP Constitution, duly received, deliberated upon, accepted and approved the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary of the Party, which appointment has also since been endorsed by relevant Organs and bodies of the PDP including the Board of Trustees (BoT), South East Zonal Caucus, the PDP Governors’ Forum and officially communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the general public.
The PDP commended.the Supreme Court for upholding the principle of the supremacy of the Party in the management of its internal affairs, describing it as victory for democracy.
“The NWC urges all patriotic members of the PDP to remain united as we work together to move our great Party forward”, the statement added.
However the Anyawu camp in the party who are claiming that the apex Court returned him didn’t make any reference to what the apex court said to validate the status of Anyawu as National Secretary of the party.
