- Throws Out Request to Halt INEC’s Action
By Abiola Olawale
The Federal High Court in Abuja has declined a request by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, a former National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from implementing his removal from the position of National Secretary.
Instead, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, directed Anyanwu to notify INEC and other defendants in the suit, allowing the court to hear their side before making a decision.
Anyanwu had sought an ex-parte application to restrain INEC from acting on any correspondences or submissions from the PDP unless signed by him, and also to prevent the PDP chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagun, from sending documents to INEC without his signature.
Through his counsel, Ken Njemanze (SAN), Anyanwu filed an ex-parte application urging the court to stop INEC or its agents from receiving or acting upon correspondences or submissions from the PDP unless signed by him.
However, the court did not grant this request, emphasizing the need for due process where all parties could present their arguments.
Consequently, Justice Ekwo set February 24 as the date for hearing the case. The New Diplomat reports that this comes after the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP officially recognized and confirmed Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the party.
This decision was made during the NWC meeting on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
The development came after a leadership tussle over the National Secretary position, which had been a protracted battle between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye. Anyanwu is an ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike while Sunday Udeh-Okoye enjoys the backing of PDP governors and chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara.
The crisis began following conflicting court rulings and political manoeuvring within the party, with Udeh-Okoye securing judicial backing from the Enugu State High Court and the Court of Appeal in Enugu, affirming him as the rightful occupant of the office.
