The board of trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former senate president, Mr Adolphus Wabara has recognised the former national youth leader, Mr Sunday Ude-Okoye, as the party’s substantive national secretary.
Recall that the PDP Governors’ Forum had during its recent meeting in Asaba, Delta State, affirmed Ude-Okoye as the party’s national secretary following the judgement of a Court of Appeal.
“The BoT, after reviewing all submissions and relevant court judgments, recognizes Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full compliance with the declaratory judgment of the Enugu High Court, upheld by the Court of Appeal,” Wabara said at the 80th meeting of the board in Abuja on Tuesday.
Wabara noted that the BoT’s decision was based on the report of a committee chaired by Mr Kabiru Turaki, which thoroughly reviewed the legal and constitutional aspects of the matter.
“The BoT asserts its role as the conscience of the party under Sections 13 (1) (r) and 32 (5) (a) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), ensuring the highest standards of morality within the party.
“The BoT charges the NWC to recognize and immediately swear in Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP, in obedience to the judgment of the Court of Appeal,” Wabara said.
He commended the governors’ forum and the national working committee (NWC) of the party for scheduling the national executive committee meeting for March 13, 2025.
“The NEC meeting will serve as a platform for critical deliberations that will shape not just the future of our party but also the political trajectory of Nigeria,” Wabara added.
The battle over the national secretary position intensified after the southeast PDP nominated Ude-Okoye to replace Mr Samuel Anyanwu, who contested the Imo State governorship election.
Despite the Court of Appeal’s December 2024 ruling affirming Ude-Okoye, Anyanwu’s loyalists resisted the decision, leading to tension within the party.
Matters came to a head on January 28 when Anyanwu’s supporters disrupted a BoT meeting, forcibly ejecting Ude-Okoye before security personnel restored order.
In response, PDP governors, led by the governor of Bauchi State, Mr Bala Mohammed endorsed the court’s ruling and called for immediate implementation by the NWC.
