By Comfort Olayinka
A fierce battle for control of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Secretary position has intensified, with the Concerned People’s Democratic League (CPDPL) throwing its full support behind Senator Samuel Nnameka Anyanwu. The group has strongly condemned several high-ranking party members for attempting to destabilize the party and illegally remove Anyanwu from office.
At a press conference on Friday, CPDPL leader Co Daboikiabo Z. Warmate sharply criticized key figures including House of Representatives member Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, National Publicity Secretary Debo Olunulagba, National Legal Adviser Kamaladin Ajibade (SAN), and suspended PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara. He accused them of spreading false information, violating the PDP constitution, and working to undermine Anyanwu’s leadership.
The controversy dates back to Anyanwu’s decision to contest for the Imo State governorship, which led to a temporary leave of absence from his role as National Secretary. Despite legal rulings and a court order affirming his position, Warmate claimed that some party members continued to push for Anyanwu’s removal for personal gain, threatening to destabilize the PDP.
Warmate emphasized that the legal process has firmly established Anyanwu’s right to remain in office, calling on PDP members to reject the “false narratives” being spread by those seeking to create division. He urged loyalty to the party’s leadership and reaffirmed that Anyanwu remains the legitimate National Secretary of the PDP.
He said, “It’s with great disappointment and shame that we have read, listened and watched the brazing lies and propaganda of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the insubordination and impersonation of the National Publicity Secretary Hon. Debo Olunulagba, the misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the PDP constitution by the National Legal Adviser Hon. Kamaladin Ajibade (SAN) and the disregard for the party constitution by the suspended BOT Chairman Sen Adolphus Wabara, as regards the national secretary position and the authentic national secretary of our great party, the PDP.
“Before we delve into the self serving and cowardice actions of the above mentioned members of our great party, let us first put the records straight as regards the genesis of the tussle for the national secretary position and who is the authentic national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is most important.
“It all started when the national secretary, most distinguished Senator Samuel Nnameka Anyanwu, declared his intention to serve the good people of Imo state as governor. He contested the PDP Imo state governorship primary and won.
“Then having emerged as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Imo state, and in preparation for the campaign, he took his annual leave between 18
April to 24 may, 2023, to enable him concentrate on ensuring PDP victory at the gubernatorial election. A letter was sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to notify them and that, the deputy national secretary will act during this period.
“But due to inordinate Interest, pressure was mounted on the national secretary, most distinguished Senator Samuel Nnameka Anyanwu to resign which he politely refused. His refusal to resign {s {n consonance with section 47 (5) of the PDP constitution as amended in 2017.
“In view of the call for the resignation of the national secretary by a microscopic few, his supporters In anticipation of an evil orchestration to remove the national secretary most distinguished Senator Samuel Nnameka Anyanwu, approached the federal high court Abuja division to seek for an order restraining anyone who will want to unjustly remove him as the national secretary and that order was graciously granted by the honorable court ably led by his lordship the honorable justice I. E. Ekwo, on the 9th of January, 2024. As we speak to you, that order was neither stayed nor appealed. By implication, that order is still unarguably subsisting.
“In October 25, 2023, misinformed by forged guidelines and the citing of a mutilated section of the PDP constitution, an Enugu High Court led by Justice C.O Ajah ignorantly ruled: “That an Interim Order is hereby granted as prayed. What was the prayer? The prayer was a motion on notice filed by one Nwabueze Ugwu, urging the court to declare Anyanwu’s seat vacant due to his current position as the candidate in next month’s governorship election in Imo State.
“Furthermore, in December 20th, 2024, an Appeal Court of Enugu Division, misguided by the Misinformed judgement of the lower court, upheld the High Court’s ruling that Mr Ude-Okoye, be recognised as the national secretary of the PDP against Sen. Samuel Nnameka Anyanwu. In a 2 to 1 ruling by honorable justice Ridwan Abdullahi, the court fined the appellant one million naira.
“The appellate court based on 47(5) & 48(1) of the PDP constitution which Hon. Sunday Udeh Okoye mutilated, just like the high court said, Sen. S. N. Anyanwu’s claim to the position after he contested and emerged as the PDP governorship election candidate in Imo State violated the party’s constitution, and his appeal had no merit. Please ladies and gentlemen of the press, permit me to read the above sections for PDP faithfuls globally and Nigerians to know the real APC mole in PDP and the true enemies of PDP.
“However, the national secretary Sen. S. N. Anyanwu, as a law abiding leader of our great party swiftly in January 13, 2025, applied for a stay of execution of the judgment at the same Appeal Court in Abuja and it was granted. The stay of execution of the judgment was granted by no less a judge than the president of the court of appeal, and she enjoined all parties to maintain status quo ‘ante bellum’ pending the hearing and the determination of the motion on notice. In addition to that, he had already filed an appeal at the supreme Court against the judgment too. Despite this legal clarity, self-serving actions persist, with some even among Senior Advocates, twisting the law to advance their paid interest.
“Now having discovered that they have no constitutional basis to unseat the most distinguished Sen. S. N. Anyanwu, they resorted to engaging the services of a known liar and propagandist in the person of Ikenga Ugochinyere to pass through the back door. They didn’t only engage the service of the truculent supercilious snollygangster, infant politician Ugochiyere but also, the national legal adviser who he once accused of collecting two million dollars from the FCT Minister and Hon. DEBO Okunulagba, the most ineffective National Publicity Secretary PDP has ever produced.
“Meanwhile, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, the suspended BOT Chairman, in furtherance of his evil and unpopular agenda tempered with the BOT list and smuggled in the name of Sunday Udeh Okoye which led to the party national secretariat being invaded by thugs. Thereafter, they have been doing the bidding of their pay masters, which is to destabilize PDP. This is a man that secured two stays of execution within three days (30th May & 2nd June) in 2023, granted by Hon. Justice Welson Egbo Egbo and became a senator and Senate President via the instrumentality of that stay of execution and his is refusing to recognize the same stay of execution in the case of Sen. S. N. Anyanwu.
“But it is so shamefully embarrassing that, Sen. Wabara and his Co travelers will want to sweep over all these atrocities and criminalities committed by Sunday Udeh Okoye under the carpet. The conscience of the PDP BOT under Sen Adolphus Wabara is dead and the BOT is without a conscience and since he emerged, has not been able to galvanize two third which invalidate all their seating siace he started presiding and also most of the BOT members tenure has expired. Just like Debo, he is the worst BOT Chairman ever.
“We therefore, urge all PDP faithfuls that are ignorantly supporting an
illegality and disaster of Hon. Sunday Udeh Okoye as national secretary to stop forthwith and retract their steps. We commend the disposition of the national chairman and national secretary and the mature manner in which they handle the affairs of the party in this trying times of the party. Nobody can destroy or destabilize PDP. We insist that Sen, Samuel Anyanwu remains the authentic PDP National Secretary in line with the party constitution and other existing laws of the land,” he said.
