Ologunagba Kicks against Anyanwu’s Resumption as PDP’s National Secretary

•Why party must zone 2027 ticket to South, says ex-spokesperson 

•Court dismisses case against PDP congresses in Sokoto 

•Court restrains Aaron from parading as Rivers PDP chair

Chuks Okocha in Abuja, Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, has described the resumption of the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu as unfortunate.

He also said the party has not received any stay from any court, explaining that to get a stay of execution was a process.

In an interview with newsmen, Ologunagba said, ”We have not received any stay of execution. Anyanwu’s resumption is unfortunate. This is not the time for the party to go through this kind of embarrassing situation. We are a country of rule of law and order.

”If you have a stay of execution, it’s a process. You have to serve the parties involved. As I said, the party, PDP, has not received either a notice of motion for a stay or been served a stay of execution.

“I don’t know where that is coming from, but the party has a process. When the document comes in, I will be made aware through the legal adviser. As we speak, I have no information at this time that the party has been served either a motion for stay or a stay of execution.

”I am not going to predict what the party will or will not do. I know very well that when you have a stay of execution, there’s a process. When you apply for a stay, there is a motion you must have filed and served before the court can listen to that motion and take action.”

Anyanwu, yesterday, resumed office as national secretary of the PDP.

His resumption heightened anxiety in the legal tussle over who the party’s national secretary was, a position being claimed by former national youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, based on a court order.

The PDP national secretariat resumed official activities yesterday after its closure for the Yuletide holidays in the last week of December, 2024.

Anyanwu arrived the party secretariat around 10:56am and headed straight for his office where he was received by his personal staff.

However, Ude-Okoye had two weeks ago declared his assumption of office as new national secretary based on the Appeal Court judgement, which sacked Anyanwu from office.

He had visited the party secretariat and met with some governors and party leaders during the Christmas and New year break.

Speaking to reporters while seating at his desk, Anyanwu dismissed the statement credited to Ologunagba, saying, “That is his opinion. It’s not the opinion of the party.

“As National Publicity Secretary of the party, I wouldn’t want to disparage him. Maybe he didn’t get the facts correctly. I have appealed.”

‘Why PDP Must Zone 2027 Ticket to South’

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Caesar Okeke, has said the party must have to zone its presidential ticket to the south in 2027 else it would go into extinction.

Okeke, who claimed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had done more damage to the PDP than anyone else, said Atiku has consistently placed his personal interests over and above the party’s interests.

He stated that though Atiku had benefited immensely from the party, having first been elected governor and subsequently vice-president on the platform of the party, his ambition to be president has been a major part of the reason the PDP was in opposition today.

He recalled that from the onset, shortly after the PDP won the 1999 elections, even before the government settled in office, there were already whispers of the purported ‘Mandela option’ which in effect was meant to force former President Olusegun Obasanjo out of office after one term and pave the way for Atiku to take over.

Okeke claimed that the decision of the PDP not to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the southern part of the country cost the party the election.

”Buhari was the final nail on the coffin of the party. The decision did not take into consideration the mood of the country and the need to protect the unity of the country by rotating the presidency between the north and the south.”

Court Dismisses case against PDP Congresses in Sokoto

Sokoto State High Court, yesterday, dismissed a case filed by Dalhatu Atahiru Bafarawa, a faction of People  Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the conduct of the party’s congresses in the state.

The Bafarawa led-faction had filed a suit before the court challenging the conduct of the exercise for allegedly denying some members level playing ground during the congresses. 

The Plaintiff’s counsel, Ibrahim Abdullahi, SAN, took out a writ at the court for eleven plaintiffs, who filed the suit in a representative capacity for some known and unknown members of the party.

The plaintiffs were challenging the conduct of the party preparatory to the conduct of its 2024 wards congresses in Sokoto.

The counsel, therefore, urged the court to declare the congresses null and void, and order for a fresh and genuine congresses that would provide a level playing ground for all members, as enshrined in the party’s constitution.

However, the PDP through their lawyer  A.Y. Abubakar, who appeared alongside party legal adviser in the state, Abdulrahman Tsamiya, told the court that congresses were internal affairs of the party.

He said the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the case, therefore, urged the court to strike out the case for lack of jurisdiction so also the that Plaintiffs didn’t have locus standi to institute the action for not being a dully registered  party members with all requirements required by the party’s constitution .

Delivering his judgment on the issue on Monday, Justice Kabiru Ahmed, resolved the preliminary objection in favour of the party and held that the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter, as it relates to internal affairs of the party.

Court Restrains Aaron from Parading as Rivers PDP Chairman

A Rivers State High Court presided by Justice Stephen Jumbo in Port Harcourt, has retrained Mr Chukwuemeka Aaron from parading as the State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The court also restrained the ward, local government and state executive of PDP led by Aaron from parading themselves as executive members of the party in the state.

Justice Jumbo gave the order yesterday, in his ruling on interlocutory injunction filed by two Port Harcourt based legal practitioners, Edwin Woko, Love Otuonye, and two others, who were members of the party.

The applicants had filed the suit against the National Chairman, State Chairman and nine others members of the PDP loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.

They wanted the court to declare null and void the positions of all purported Local Government and Ward Congresses of PDP conducted by the pro-Wike supporters in 2024.

Justice Jumbo in his ruling, said the ward, local government and state congresses of PDP had no loco standi and were invalid from the onset

Edwin Woko, Love Otuonye, and two others had sought an order of interlocutory injunction to setting aside as a nullity the purported Congresses conducted in 319 wards, 23 LGAs and the state structure of PDP in Rivers State which was conducted on July 27, August 10 and August 31, last year.

The ruling marks another major setback for political proteges of the former governor, Nyesom Wike.