A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, declared Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as the valid national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment, made an order of injunction, restraining the national leadership of the PDP from appointing any person as acting national secretary when Anyanwu's four-year tenure is still running and subsisting until Dec. 9, 2025, in line with party's constitution.

Galaxy Tv reports that Justice Ekwo also declared that any meeting held or resolution reached by the party to prematurely remove or prevent Anyanwu from exercising the powers of his office would be in violation of Article 47 (1) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), hence, becomes null and void and of no effect.

The judge also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any purported appointment of any person as national secretary of the party whether in acting capacity or otherwise other than Anyanwu, the elected national secretary of the 1st defendant (PDP).
The court had, on Nov. 23, 2023, stopped the PDP from removing Anyanwu as national secretary pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.

The order followed an ex-parte motion by Dr Joshua Musa, SAN, on behalf of two members of the party; Geoffrey Ihentuge and Apollo’s Godspower.

While Ihentuge is the Ikeduru Local Government chairman of the PDP in Imo, Godspower is the PDP chairman in Owerri Municipal Local Government of the state.

The plaintiffs had sued the PDP; Umar Damagun, party's acting national chairman; National Executive Committee (NEC); the National Working Committee (NWC) and INEC as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.

The plaintiffs, who sought five reliefs, prayed for an order of interim injunction, restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants from carrying out the threat to remove the national secretary (Anyanwu).
Delivering the ruling, the judge dismissed Odefa's motion for lack of merit and for being an abuse of court process.

In his judgement, Ekwo held that the plaintiffs had been able to demonstrate, with credible evidence, the threat and move by the PDP leadership to remove its national secretary without due compliance with the provisions of the party's constitution.
Counsel to the to the Appellant and other parties described the judgement as victory for the party, while they emphasized the need for the spirit of unity within the party.