S’Court judgment affirms Udeh-Okoye as National Secretary, says PDP

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it welcomed the Supreme Court judgment, asserting that the ruling validates Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the party.

A statement signed by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the Supreme Court’s decision confirmed that leadership matters within the PDP remain internal affairs, beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.

” Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirms the standing position of the Party and emphatically settles 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 in line with the party’s constitution,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court nullified the judgments that removed Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary.

However, on Friday, the Supreme Court nullified the judgments that removed Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary, declaring that the lower courts had wrongly interfered in the party’s internal affairs.

A five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji ruled that the Enugu High Court and the Court of Appeal erred in their decisions. In the lead judgment by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the apex court emphasized that political parties must manage their own affairs unless they violate their own constitution or the principles of fairness, justice, and equity.

Additionally, the court held that Aniagu Emmanuel, the plaintiff who initiated the case, lacked the legal standing to challenge the PDP’s internal decisions. As a result, all previous judgments against Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye’s appointment were vacated for lack of jurisdiction.

Following the judgment, the PDP praised the Supreme Court for upholding party supremacy, calling it a victory for democracy.