By Abiola Olawale
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is grappling with an intensifying internal crisis as the Southeast caucus has threatened to abandon the party amid a heated dispute over the National Secretary position.
This comes amid soaring battle for the coveted position of the Party’s National Secretary between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye.
Recall that the PDP’s leadership crisis began in 2023 when Anyanwu, the elected National Secretary, contested the Imo State governorship election.
The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) directed the Southeast Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement, leading to the endorsement of Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary.
Anyanwu, however, rejected the move, insisting he never resigned from his position.
Backed by a Supreme Court ruling in March 2025, which pronounced him the authentic National Secretary, Anyanwu argued that his removal violated the PDP constitution.
The court however emphasized that party leadership matters are internal affairs, overturning an earlier Appeal Court decisions which had tilted in favour of Udeh-Okoye.
In the latest move, the Southeast caucus said it will reconsider its relationship with the party if its nomination of Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the party is not considered.
The caucus insisted that it has complied with the directive of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) during its recent meeting held at the Party’s National Headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Wuse, Abuja, on April 29, 2025, which ruled that the Southeast ZEC of the party should nominate a candidate for the office of the National Secretary to serve out the remaining tenure zoned to the region.
These were contained in a communiqué issued on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at the end of the Southeast PDP (ZEC) meeting held at the Government House, Enugu.
The communiqué, which was signed by the Zonal Chairman, PDP, Southeast, Chief Ali Odefa, recalled that on March 21, 2025, the Supreme Court brought to a close the protracted legal tussle over the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.
The communique reads in part: “The apex court, in its ruling, held that the issue of the leadership of a political party was the internal affairs of such a party and that the courts and INEC had no jurisdiction and ought not to interfere.
“Following the consideration of the report of the panel it set up to review the Supreme Court judgment, the PDP Governors’ Forum, at its April 14, 2025 meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, recommended that the South East PDP should nominate a candidate, who would serve out the remaining tenure of the National Secretary of the Party zoned to the region.
“In adopting the PDP Governors’ Forum’s recommendation, the NWC during its 600th Meeting held at the Party’s National Headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Wuse, Abuja, on April 29, 2025, directed the South East ZEC of our party to nominate a candidate for the Office of the National Secretary, accordingly.
“Today’s meeting was therefore convened by this directive. Rising from the meeting, the ZEC resolved to issue the following communique:
“The South East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and concluded that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party. Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
