The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened as National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba and embattled National Vice-Chairman for the South-East, Ali Odefa, rejected the meeting called by acting National Chairman Umar Damagum between the National Working Committee (NWC) and South-East stakeholders.
The PDP has been grappling with significant internal divisions both before and after the 2023 general elections, with tensions intensifying over the National Secretary position. In 2023, the South-East zone of the PDP nominated former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye to replace Anyanwu as National Secretary after Anyanwu became the party’s candidate for the Imo State governorship election. The South-East PDP argued that Anyanwu should step down from his post, which sparked further controversy within the party.
On December 20, 2024, the Appeal Court in Enugu upheld Ude-Okoye’s appointment as PDP National Secretary, with the ruling officially communicated to party leadership on December 24. However, last week, the Court of Appeal in Abuja issued a restraining order, instructing Anyanwu to remain in his position as National Secretary until the Supreme Court makes a final ruling on the matter. The hearing for the motion to stay execution has been adjourned to a later date.
On Friday, South-East stakeholders convened in Enugu and endorsed Ude-Okoye as the legitimate PDP National Secretary. In a recent turn of events, an anonymous source revealed that Damagum had scheduled a meeting for January 28 between the NWC and South-East stakeholders in Abuja to rally support for Anyanwu.
