PDP Reinstates Anyanwu Amid Staff Tension and Leadership Dispute

Samuel Anyanwu has been reinstated as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a move met with visible unease among party staff and internal disagreement.

Following the announcement, tension spread within the PDP national secretariat. Staff members were observed discussing the development in hushed tones. One staffer expressed uncertainty about how employees would interact with Anyanwu, citing past friction.

The reinstatement is particularly sensitive given events in May, when PDP staff openly declared they would not work with Anyanwu. At that time, they pledged loyalty to Setonji Koshoedo, the Deputy National Secretary nominated by PDP governors to act in the role. Concerns now exist about how staff will work with someone they previously rejected.

The decision to reinstate Anyanwu appears linked to a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) convened by Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum on Wednesday. However, Damagum acknowledged that many NWC members failed to attend, citing short notice. Sources within the party told Daily Trust that several members deliberately boycotted the meeting in protest against Anyanwu’s reinstatement.

Shortly after Damagum’s press conference announcing the reinstatement, some NWC members issued a statement reaffirming support for National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba. They also insisted that the planned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for June 30th must proceed. These members criticized Damagum for disowning Ologunagba’s earlier announcement about the June 30th NEC meeting, stating Ologunagba acted with full NWC backing.

The conflict over the National Secretary position dates back to April 2023 when Anyanwu contested and won the PDP governorship primary in Imo State. During his absence, the party’s South East caucus nominated Sunday Udeh-Okoye, a former National Youth Leader, as his replacement.

After losing the governorship election, Anyanwu attempted to return to his post but faced resistance from South East party leaders, led by Chief Ali Odefa. The dispute escalated to the courts. In December 2024, the Court of Appeal in Enugu affirmed Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary. Anyanwu appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court later reversed the lower court’s ruling but also stated that the party reserves the right to determine its leadership. This judgment did not resolve the dispute. Supporters of Anyanwu argued it restored his position, while backers of Udeh-Okoye maintained the South East should nominate a replacement. To manage the impasse, PDP governors nominated Deputy National Secretary Koshoedo to act pending a final resolution.

Sources within the PDP claim that Damagum and his allies oppose holding the June 30th NEC meeting because it would likely consider the South East caucus’s nomination of Udeh-Okoye. “It’s clear Damagum prefers working with Anyanwu,” one source stated. “The 99th NEC had agreed that the issue would be resolved at the 100th meeting. Avoiding the NEC now is suspicious.”

The source further alleged moves to dissolve the current NWC and install a caretaker committee to oversee a fresh convention, criticizing the prolonged acting capacity of the National Chairman.

The reinstatement of Anyanwu directly challenges the South East PDP caucus. In May, following a stakeholders’ meeting in Enugu, the caucus threatened to leave the party if Udeh-Okoye was not recognized as National Secretary.

Leaders, including Governor Peter Mbah, Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, former Governor Achike Udenwa, and Chief Ali Odefa, warned that refusal to honour their position would trigger mass defections in the region.