Wike, Ortom, others insist Anyanwu remains PDP National Secretary
By Jeffrey Agbo
Some stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have reaffirmed Senator Sam Anyanwu as the duly elected and substantive National Secretary of the party.
The reaffirmation came in a communiqué issued after a closed-door meeting held in Abuja on Monday, aimed at resolving the party’s ongoing internal crisis.
Reading the communiqué, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, stated that the decision to reaffirm Anyanwu’s position was based on a consensus among stakeholders and aligned with the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Wike explained that the meeting was convened to assess the party’s current state and emphasise the need to restore internal democracy, equity and justice. He noted that the persistent crisis stemmed from the refusal of certain individuals to comply with the PDP constitution.
He cited specific sections of the constitution—Section 36(1)(a)(b)(c), Sections 47(3)(5), and 48(1)(i)—alongside the Supreme Court ruling, which all affirmed Anyanwu’s legitimacy.
Expressing concern over the party’s trajectory, Wike warned that the PDP faced a path of self-destruction unless urgent measures were taken to curb the divisive and self-serving actions that had weakened the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
He further criticised internal conduct at the levels of the National Executive Committee (NEC), National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees, where he said factional interests continued to erode party unity.
Wike urged the PDP to immediately uphold the Supreme Court’s judgment to halt the party’s decline and restore stability.
“We, therefore, unequivocally reaffirm Sen. Sam Anyanwu as the duly elected and substantive National Secretary of our great party.
“In line with the provisions of our party constitution, only the National Secretary, Anyanwu, can issue notices of meeting of the National Convention, NEC, National Caucus and the NWC.
“To this end, all notices not issued by him and actions founded on them, including correspondences to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
“Furthermore, it is clear from the constitution that only the National Convention, properly and duly constituted can remove Anyanwu as the national secretary, arising from his status as a member of the NEC of the party.
“We, therefore, demand that the acting National Chairman and the National Secretary jointly issue a notice to INEC with an attached agenda for the NEC meeting of the party, being the only pathway to abide by extant laws,” he said.
Wike reiterated the stakeholders’ commitment to the great party and urged all members to uphold the rule of law and respect constitutional mandate.
He also called on members of the party to resist all manoeuvres aimed at destabilising the party and support the efforts of the National Reconciliation Committee headed by Sen. Bukola Saraki.
The minister further said the stakeholders had resolved that the party must make an unequivocal pronouncement, zoning its presidential candidate to the South in the 2027 elections.
“This is in the spirit of fairness, inclusion, federal character principles and respect for our party constitution, after the unbroken years of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the north,” Wike said.
Some of the stakeholders at the meeting included former Gov. Ifeanyi Uguanyi of Enugu, former Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue and former Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.
Also at the meeting were the National Secretary of the PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and former Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Philip Aduda.
Former federal and state lawmakers and some zonal and state party executives among others equally attended the meeting.
