By Jude Opara, Abuja
The crisis rocking the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may continue to linger as the factional National Secretary of the party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu has said he remains the validly elected secretary of the party.
Anyanwu who has been having a running battle with Sunday Udeh-Okoye over who should occupy the position told a caucus meeting of South East PDP that in line with the constitution of the party, he never resigned from his position when he sought to contest for the position of the governor of Imo state in the 2023 election.
He further said the matter has been resolved in his favour by courts of competent jurisdiction hence he will remain in office till when the party holds its convention on 9th of December, 2025.
He argued that the attempt of the National Vice Chairman (South East), Ali Odefa to orchestrate his removal from office will not stand because he has already been expelled from the party by the executives of his Ward in Ebonyi.
According to Anyanwu, Odefa is no longer a member of the PDP because he has been removed from office by a court and he has not vacated or appealed that judgement.
He accused Odefa of anti-party activities by campaigning against the candidate of the party in Ebonyi state during the last general elections.
The former governorship candidate also accused Odefa of trying to deceive Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state by telling him that he was validly removed as party secretary because he went to contest for the number one seat in Imo state.
He also displayed the guidelines of the party for the conduct of elections which was duly signed, as well as the one he described as fake which was not endorsed by anybody.
“Odefa wanted to deceive the only governor we have in the South East by telling him that I have left my position because I contested the governorship election in Imo state.
“When I wanted to run for the governor of Imo state, I wrote the party officially officially to inform them of my intention. In that letter, I never resigned because the constitution of the PDP did not indicate that anybody who seeks another office in an election should resign. The officer can only resign after taking oath of office for another position.
“I don’t know why the former National Vice Chairman who is not even a member of the PDP by virtue of the court ruling is fighting to remove me from office? When I was contesting as governor, he went and told Governor Peter Mbah that if I win I will be too powerful because of my knowledge of the running of the party.
“But to show you that he was only trying to push his own selfish interest, when Governor Mbah, the only one we have in the South East was inaugurated, he was not there, he stayed away”.
In his remarks, the National Deputy Legal Adviser of the PDP, Barr. Okechukwu Osuoha gave credence to the position of Anyanwu and saying that the constitution of the party did not state that a national officer who wants to contest an election can only resign when he is sworn into another officer.
Osuala further warned the party to be careful not to shortchange itself by removing Anyanwu by fiat because he signed the documents of all their candidates in the past election.
According to him, the constitution of the PDP only allows the removal of a national officer through a national convention, adding that anything to the contrary may negatively affect the party in the 2027 general elections.
Party stakeholders from the states of the region were present at the meeting including the Chairman of the PDP in Imo state, Hon. Nicholas Nwachukwu.
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