JUST-IN: Anyanwu, Ude-Okoye ‘Fight’ At PDP BoT Meeting

The battle for the office of National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Wednesday during the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting at the Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja. The two leading contenders for the position, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, were involved in a confrontation at the meeting.

Ude-Okoye had arrived at the meeting venue before Anyanwu and the acting national chairman of the party, Ambassador Iliya Damagum. However, tensions flared when Anyanwu arrived, leading to Ude-Okoye being escorted out of the meeting by pro-Anyanwu members.

The position of National Secretary has been a point of contention within the party ever since Anyanwu vacated the role to run for the Imo State governorship election, which he lost. In his absence, the South-East Caucus of the PDP endorsed Ude-Okoye as his replacement.

After his defeat in the election, Anyanwu has been fighting to reclaim his former position, a move that has caused further division within the party.

The legal battle surrounding the position intensified in December 2024, when an Appeal Court in Enugu upheld a previous High Court decision removing Senator Anyanwu from the position and confirmed Ude-Okoye as the legitimate National Secretary.

However, Anyanwu has since filed for a Stay of Execution and an appeal at the Supreme Court.

Details of the confrontation and the ongoing crisis within the PDP will follow shortly.