The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted an application by the embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to amend the originating summons he filed seeking to validate his position as the party’s National Secretary.
When the matter was called, U.C. Njemanze-Aku, representing Anyanwu, informed the court that the hearing was for ruling on the plaintiff’s application to amend the originating summons.
In a brief ruling, Justice Mohammed Umar approved the amendment, awarded N30,000 in costs to each defendant, and adjourned the matter to January 20, 2026, for hearing.
Besides the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and PDP National Chairman Umar Damagum, other defendants in the suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025) include the PDP itself, National Vice Chairman (South-East) Honourable Udeh-Okoye Ememchukwu, Ali Odela, and Deputy National Secretary Setonji Koshoedo.
Senator Anyanwu had approached the court seeking to stay the execution of concurrent judgments that removed him from office and recognised Udeh-Okoye as National Secretary.
The Court of Appeal in Enugu, in a judgment delivered last December, upheld a High Court ruling that sacked Anyanwu and recognised Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national scribe. The courts held that Anyanwu’s continued tenure violated the PDP Constitution, as he had contested and emerged as the party’s candidate in the 2023 Imo State governorship election.
Following the judgments, both the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Working Committee (NWC) endorsed Chief Udeh-Okoye. Dissatisfied, Anyanwu lodged an appeal at the Supreme Court while simultaneously seeking a high court order to suspend the execution of the judgments against him.
On May 21, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel of justices, voided the judgments of the lower courts for lack of jurisdiction. The apex court ruled that the dispute concerned internal party affairs, which no court has statutory authority to adjudicate. The ruling elicited mixed reactions, with both Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye’s camps claiming victory.
In an affidavit filed in response to Anyanwu’s suit, Honourable Udeh-Okoye, the fourth defendant, stated that although Anyanwu was elected at the PDP National Convention on October 30, 2021, for a four-year tenure, he lost the position after being nominated as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State in 2023.
It is noteworthy that Honourable Udeh-Okoye has since joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside the Enugu State Governor.
