Senator Samuel Anyanwu has been reinstated as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated his removal by lower courts.
The verdict nullified the December 20, 2024, judgment of the Court of Appeal in Enugu, which had upheld a High Court ruling that replaced Anyanwu with Sunday Udey-Okoye.
Challenging the appellate court’s decision, Anyanwu took his case to the Supreme Court, arguing that neither the High Court nor the Court of Appeal had the authority to decide on PDP’s internal leadership affairs.
He maintained that party membership and leadership disputes are non-justiciable, meaning they fall outside the jurisdiction of the judiciary.
He also pointed out that the lower courts failed to establish whether the plaintiff had followed the PDP’s internal mechanisms for resolving disputes before resorting to legal action.
Furthermore, he questioned the legitimacy of the plaintiff’s right to sue over the matter, emphasizing that such a right is fundamental in determining a court’s jurisdiction.
Anyanwu also contested the lower court’s interpretation of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, clarifying that he had never resigned or been removed as PDP National Secretary.
He insisted that the PDP’s constitution lays out clear procedures for removing executive members and that those procedures were not followed in his case.
Citing Article 47 of the PDP constitution, which guarantees a four-year tenure for party officers, Anyanwu reinforced his stance that his removal was not legally justified.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, Udey-Okoye had previously secured backing from the PDP’s National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and Governors’ Forum.