Victor EzejaNigeria’s Supreme Court has passed a judgment reinstating Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
With the ruling delivered by a five-member panel led by Justice Jamilu Tukur, on Friday, the apex court has invalidated the verdict of the Court of Appeal and a Federal High Court, which had earlier sacked Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary of PDP.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelA Federal Court sitting in Enugu had while ruling in a suit against Anyanwu removed him as the national scribe of the party.
The appellate court confirmed the trial court’s ruling, recognising Chief Udeh-Okoye Enemchukwu as Senator Anyanwu’s replacement.
The appellate court ruled that Anyanwu’s stay in office as National Secretary violated the PDP’s Constitution, as he competed and won the party’s governorship ticket and participated in Imo State election in 2023.
Dissatisfied by the decisions of the trial and appellate courts, Anyanwu approached the Supreme Court to set it aside.
The apex court held that the case was not justiciable since it involved the party’s internal affairs.
It held that it was wrong for the two lower courts to have meddled in the internal affairs of the parties.
It said the party has its own dispute resolution mechanisms embedded in its constitution.
According to the apex court, the judiciary would only intervene, when a political party is accused of disregarding its own laws and regulations.
It ruled that courts do not have a duty to intervene in political party leadership selection processes, but rather to ensure due process, equity, justice, fairness, and the rule of law.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court stated that the plaintiff, Aniagu Emmanuel, a PDP member, whose suit resulted in Anyanwu’s dismissal, failed to demonstrate his locus standi (legal right) to bring the action.
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As a result, it overturned the decisions of the two lower courts due to a lack of jurisdiction to hear the dispute over the position of National Secretary in the PDP.
Recall that, in accordance with the rulings of the lower courts, the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Working Committee (NWC) had endorsed Chief Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary.
Their argument was that Anyanwu’s tenure ended with his resignation to contest the last Governorship election in Imo state in 2023.
However, Anyanwu rejected the decisions of the BOT and NWC, insisting that the position was the subject of a pending litigation.
With the apex court setting aside the decisions of the lower courts, Anyanwu’s position as national secretary is restored.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
