The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has pledged to comply with an Appeal Court order restraining it from appointing anyone as acting National Secretary in place of Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
This was disclosed by the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, during a press conference titled “Just so the PDP may have a breather” on Friday in Abuja.
Abdullahi explained that the party had received two separate court orders in recent days concerning the position of the National Secretary.
According to him, the first order, issued by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama on Wednesday in a suit marked CV/64/2025, restrained the PDP from recognizing the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, as the substantive National Secretary.
The suit was instituted by the Imo State PDP Chairman, Austine Nwachukwu, through his counsel, Clement Mue.
The second order, Abdullahi said, was served on Thursday by the Court of Appeal (Abuja Division) in Appeal No. CA/E/24/2024. The order was tied to a judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Enugu on December 20, 2024.
The Abuja Division’s stay of execution order restrains the PDP or its agents from enforcing or giving effect to the Enugu court’s judgment until the Supreme Court determines the appeal.
“The court, in its ruling on the ex parte application, restrained PDP and its principal officers from removing Anyanwu from office, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice fixed for January 28,” Abdullahi stated.
The order also barred Koshoedo or any other person from acting as the PDP’s National Secretary, issuing notices for meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC) or National Working Committee (NWC), or performing related functions without the directive of Anyanwu or in his absence.
Law-Abiding Compliance
Abdullahi affirmed the PDP’s commitment to respecting the court’s decision. “As a law-abiding party, we will respect the order of the court.
We will also send legal representation to defend the party in the suit when the motion on notice comes up on January 28 and February 5 for hearing,” he said.
He reiterated that Senator Anyanwu remains the substantive National Secretary of the PDP until the Supreme Court delivers its judgment on the appeal.
Internal Party Dynamics
Responding to why he delivered the briefing instead of the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, Abdullahi clarified that he was acting on the directive of the party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
He accused Ologunagba of issuing statements and holding news conferences without clearance from the NWC, which, according to him, had not met since September 2024.
“A National Publicity Secretary does not enjoy unilateral powers to speak for the NWC without clearance. That is not the position of law,” Abdullahi stressed.
He appealed to party members to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the court’s final decision on the matter.
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