The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the Supreme Court judgment for upholding the principle of supremacy of the political party in the management of its internal affairs.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba on Friday in Abuja, described the judgment as victory for democracy.
Ologunagba said the party’s National Working (NWC) received the judgment of the apex court, which affirmed that the contentious issue of the party national secretary is a party leadership position issue, which is entirely an internal affair of the party, requiring only the party’s internal mechanism on which the court has no jurisdiction.
“Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirms the standing position of the party.
“It emphatically settles the emergence of Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP, having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory organs and bodies,” he said.
This, he said, was in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
Ologunagba recalled that the NWC had, at its 576th meeting held on Oct. 11, 2023, directed the South-East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement for Anyanwu upon his nomination then as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State.
He said that consequent upon the directive of the NWC, the zonal executive committee, on Oct. 20, 2023, passed a resolution approving Anyanwu’s emergence, whereupon the zonal committee also forwarded the name of Udeh-Okoye to the NWC as the National Secretary of the former national ruling party.
Ologunagba said that accordingly, the NWC, at its 577th meeting held on Nov. 7, 2023 duly received, accepted and approved the emergence of Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP.
He also said that the appointment had since been endorsed by relevant organs and bodies of PDP, including the Board of Trustees (BoT), South East Zonal Caucus and the PDP Governors’ Forum.
Ologunagba further stated that the Supreme Court’s decision had been officially communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the general public.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Ologunagba as urging all patriotic members of PDP to remain united as the NWC members continue to work together to move the party forward.
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