Amid ongoing leadership tensions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), staff and management of the party’s National Secretariat have called for calm and pledged their support for the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) to recognize Arch. Setonji Koshoedo as Acting National Secretary.
In a press statement jointly signed by over 80 staff members across various cadres of the PDP National Secretariat, the members emphasized their loyalty to the party and concern over the instability caused by a prolonged dispute over the office of the National Secretary. They described the situation as a threat to the survival of the party and the integrity of its internal processes.
The crisis began after Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the then National Secretary, emerged as the PDP’s candidate for the November 2023 Imo State Governorship election. Believing that his nomination automatically vacated his position, the South East PDP Caucasians nominated Hon. S.K.E. Udeh Okoye as his replacement. This move triggered a series of legal battles that reached the Supreme Court.
The apex court, in its March 21, 2025 ruling, held that the issue was an internal affair of the party. In response, the PDP Governors’ Forum recommended that the Deputy National Secretary, Arch. Koshoedo, should act in the role pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive National Secretary by the NEC. This recommendation was adopted at the NWC’s 600th meeting held on April 29, 2025.
“We believe the NWC’s directive is in the best interest of the PDP and will help restore members’ confidence in the party’s leadership structure,” the staff said. They further expressed concern over damaging media narratives and internal divisions, urging all party members to prioritize unity and party discipline.
The statement also acknowledged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of Arch. Koshoedo in the acting role and confirmed that official party communications signed by him were being processed by the commission.
While appreciating the contributions of Senator Anyanwu to the party’s growth and to staff welfare, the secretariat workers appealed to him to make sacrifices in the interest of the party’s future.
The staff further called on Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, to ensure that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for May 27, 2025, goes ahead as planned to address pressing matters and reinforce the party’s commitment to its constitution.
They concluded by pledging continued loyalty to the PDP and commending key stakeholders such as the Board of Trustees (BoT), NWC, and the Governors’ Forum for their efforts to maintain party cohesion.
Read the full statement;
“The management and staff of the National Secretariat of the PDP are deeply concerned that in the last one year, the PDP has been engulfed with very disturbing leadership issues particularly over the office of the National Secretary.
“The disputation was worsened by protracted litigations, violent disruption of activities at the Party secretariat and damaging media narratives which pose serious threat to the stability and survival of our Party as well as the credibility of our internal processes.
“It is to be noted that staff of the National Secretariat are among the key Stakeholders in the affairs of the Party because many of them have spent 20-25 years of their working life striving to establish and grow the bureaucracy of the Party and are bestowed with the institutional memory of the Party. Therefore, members of staff are desirous and concerned in getting these problems solved without further delay.
As you may be aware the contention for the position of the National Secretary of the PDP started after Senator Samuel Anyanwu on April 12, 2023 as National Secretary contested and won the nomination as the candidate of the PDP for November 11, 2023, Governorship election in Imo State.
“In the belief that upon his nomination as the Gubernatorial Candidate of our Party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu has automatically resigned his position as the National Secretary, the South East Zonal Chapter on the 20th of October, 2023 passed a resolution approving and forwarding the name of Hon. S.K.E Udeh Okoye to the NWC as replacement for Senator Anyanwu.
“This development sparked off a disputation including series of litigations from the High Court of Enugu which on 22nd December, 2023 delivered judgement in favour of Hon. Udeh-Okoye, to the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which in its judgement delivered on 20th December 2024 upheld the judgement of the Enugu High Court.
“Upon the judgement of the Court of Appeal, the organs and leadership bodies of the Party; namely the Board of Trustees, the NWC, the South East Zonal Caucus and the PDP Governor’s Forum recognized Hon. Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary of the Party.
Dissatisfied, Senator Anyanwu went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in a landmark judgement delivered on March 21, 2025 affirmed that the issue of Party leadership positions, including that of the National Secretary is entirely an internal affairs of the Party requiring only the Party internal mechanism to which the courts have no jurisdiction.
“The judgement of the Supreme Court led to renew disputation as Senator Anyanwu argued that it was in his favour because the judgements of both the Enugu State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division were struct-out by the Supreme Court for lack of jurisdiction. However, the NWC in an official statement on the same March 21, 2025, stated that the Supreme Court judgment settled the emergence of Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory Organs and bodies in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
“As you may recall, in its bid to find a lasting solution, the PDP Governor’s Forum at its meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025 in Ibadan, Oyo State capital reiterated its position endorsing Hon Udeh Okoye as National Secretary but recommended that in the light of the Supreme Court Judgment, the Deputy National Secretary, Arch Setonji Koshoedo should act as the National Secretary pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive National Secretary from the South East Zone and National Executive Committee respectively at its next meeting.
This recommendation, which is in consonant with Section 36 (2) of the PDP Constitution was duly adopted by the NWC in its 600th meeting held on April 29, 2025 wherein in exercise of its powers under Section 29 (2)(b) of the PDP Constitution DIRECTED the Deputy National Secretary, Arch Setonji Koshoedo to act as the National Secretary pending the emergence of a substantive National Secretary.
After a thorough consideration, the management and staff of the PDP National Secretariat unanimously align with and declare unalloyed loyalty to the recommendation of the PDP Governor’s Forum as adopted by the NWC in recognizing and working with Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of our party in line with the provisions of the PDP Constitution.
“We believe that the NWC’s directive that Arch Setonji Koshoedo acts as National Secretary is in the overall interest of the stability of our party being the best step at the moment to restore the confidence of members of the party and preserve the integrity of our internal processes given the sensitive nature of the office of the National Secretary in the operation of a political party.
“Moreover, we are aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received and acknowledged Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of the PDP. We are also aware that INEC is receiving and attending to correspondences of our party signed by Arch Setonji Koshoedo, contrary to false narratives by certain quarters.
As Staff of the PDP, we fully recognize and appreciate the roles and contributions Senator Anyanwu has played and made for the growth and success of the party especially issues regarding to staff welfare but at this moment we strongly believe that there is no sacrifice too high for any individual to make for the overall interest of our party. The PDP gave him the platform from which he rose from Local Government Chairman, to Senator and also elected as the7 National Secretary of our Party.
The PDP staff also calls on the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum to take all necessary steps to ensure that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Party holds as scheduled on May, 27, 2025 to enable the party address all pertinent issues and reassert its values of unity, discipline, loyalty and strict adherence to the provisions of the Constitution of our great Party.
“The management and staff of the PDP National Secretariat hereby commend the BoT, NWC, the Governors Forum and other stakeholders and pledge our continued loyalty and commitment to the PDP at all times.
This document is endorsed by the entire staff of the PDP National Secretariat:
S/N NAMES CADRE SIGN
- ALH. GURAMA BAWA DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION …………………
- NNOROM CHINWE IHUOMA DIRECTOR, PUBLICITY …………………
- YUSUF ISMAIL ALKALI DIRECTOR, FINANCE …………………
- MOYEGUN ADEYEMI DIRECTOR, ORG & MOB …………………
- DR. EDWARD UGBADA ADIE DG PDI …………………
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