The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order preventing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary while the main case is being heard. Justice Inyang Ekwo granted this temporary order in response to a motion presented by Joshua Musa, SAN. The court has scheduled a hearing for December 4 to further address the matter.
Geoffrey Ihentuge and Apollo’s Godspower, members of the party, filed a lawsuit against the PDP, its acting National Chairman, Umar Aliyu Damagun, the National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Working Committee (NWC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Their motion invoked specific rules of the Federal High Court and cited the PDP’s constitution to seek injunctions, essentially preventing the removal or replacement of Anyanwu until the legal process concludes.
The plaintiffs argued that Anyanwu’s tenure aligns with the PDP’s constitution, lasting until December 9, 2025. They contended that removing Anyanwu without following the constitutionally mandated process would be improper. Justice Ekwo granted these injunctions following a comprehensive argument presented by the plaintiffs.
There have been conflicting court orders regarding Anyanwu’s position, with another High Court in Enugu previously restraining him from functioning as national secretary and directing Damagum to acknowledge Sunday Udeh-Okoye in that role. To navigate this conflict, Damagum stated that the party has requested both sides to pause and appointed the deputy national secretary to serve as acting secretary until all issues, including the contradictory court orders and the Southeast matter, are resolved.