S’Court Reserves Judgement In Suit Seeking To Void Anyanwu’s Sack As PDP National Secretary
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by Senator Samuel Anyanwu against the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), where he seeks to nullify his removal as the party’s National Secretary.
The apex court reserved its decision on Monday after hearing arguments from Anyanwu’s lawyer, Kingsley Njemanze, SAN, and Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN, representing Aniagu Emmanuel. Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji, who led the five-man panel of justices, stated that the date for the delivery of the judgment would be communicated to all parties when ready.
Anyanwu was removed from office after his resignation to contest the 2023 Imo State governorship election, which he lost. He argued that he should be reinstated as the National Secretary of the PDP following his electoral defeat, claiming that the PDP leadership had unlawfully prevented his return to the position.
During the proceedings, Anyanwu’s counsel urged the Supreme Court to void and set aside the decisions of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Enugu, which had upheld his removal. He insisted that, having lost the gubernatorial race, he should be allowed to resume his previous role.
However, Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN, representing Aniagu Emmanuel, argued that Anyanwu’s request violated the PDP’s constitution. He contended that once Anyanwu resigned from his position to contest another election, he could not return to the office.
The PDP and Ambassador Iliya Damagun, the second and third respondents in the appeal, did not file any response to Anyanwu’s suit. Additionally, the fourth respondent, Ali Odeifa, objected to Anyanwu’s request, urging the court to dismiss the appeal as frivolous, baseless, and lacking merit.
During the proceedings, Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim questioned whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction over the leadership dispute within the PDP. Erokoro pointed out that the court had previously assumed jurisdiction in similar cases, such as the matter of former PDP National Chairman Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Earlier in the proceedings, the Supreme Court had dismissed Anyanwu’s request to stay the execution of the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court rulings. Anyanwu later withdrew his application for a stay of execution, which was subsequently dismissed by the court.
The Court of Appeal had earlier upheld a decision by the Federal High Court in Enugu that removed Anyanwu from office, affirming the appointment of Chief Sunday Ude-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP. Anyanwu’s appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on the grounds that he violated the PDP constitution by attempting to retain the position after contesting the governorship election.
Anyanwu is now seeking to have the judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal set aside by the Supreme Court.
